The Executive Yuan yesterday announced plans to invest NT$46.056 billion (US$1.51 billion) over the next eight years to improve the nation’s digital infrastructure and bridge the rural-urban divide.
The plan — part of the government’s “Forward-looking Infrastructure Construction Project” — aims to improve rural access to broadband Internet, as well as develop a 5G mobile services network by 2020 and an Internet of Things (IoT) network.
Officials told a news conference they are aiming for 90 percent coverage of broadband services nationwide, with rural access speeds to be in the megabytes per second range.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
The plan also calls for enhancing information security, improving a disaster-relief communications system and developing a cloud-computing system for public education.
National Development Council Minister Chen Tain-jy (陳添枝) said that government investment in the expansion of broadband Internet would spur more investment from private enterprises, which is estimated to reach NT$238 billion.
National Communications Commission spokesman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said that the country has already stepped up preparations to activate a 5G network, adding that IoT technology would be the next major development.
“In the future, truly everything will be connected to the Internet,” Wong said.
Facilitating broadband access to rural communities is essential to safeguard the right to equal access for all, especially those who live in remote areas, Wong said.
Minister Without Portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳) said that pervasive megabyte-speed Internet access is the trend, and rural communities cannot be left behind.
Officials said artists and other creative content producers would benefit from higher-speed broadband services, which would allow for the transmission of high-definition images and video content.
Government digital storage facilities will be upgraded to allow the storage of higher-definition content, while use of digital networks will be promoted among content producers.
The announcement described plans for promoting interest in technology by connecting schools to virtual classrooms and installing interactive systems at technology parks.
Officials said they hoped to foster interest in innovation and creative content design among students.
Minister Without Portfolio Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said that Taiwan’s communications and technology industries used to place more emphasis on hardware, but the focus is now shifting to digital design.
The government hopes to see hardware, software and content be better integrated, Wu said, adding the future would see the promotion of such things as artificial intelligence and driverless cars.
Content and application services will grow increasingly important, Wu said.
Asked about IoT, Tang compared it with the development of air pollution and earthquake monitoring systems, which have become more accurate and efficient.
In the future all of the information people need will be available at once, which will boost the deployment of these technologies, Tang said.
Deputy Minister of Education Lin Teng-chiao (林騰蛟) said that he looks forward to using a portion of the new special budget to purchase new equipment for classrooms and install fiber Internet connections in schools.
CLASH OF WORDS: While China’s foreign minister insisted the US play a constructive role with China, Rubio stressed Washington’s commitment to its allies in the region The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday affirmed and welcomed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio statements expressing the US’ “serious concern over China’s coercive actions against Taiwan” and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, in a telephone call with his Chinese counterpart. The ministry in a news release yesterday also said that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated many fallacies about Taiwan in the call. “We solemnly emphasize again that our country and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and it has been an objective fact for a long time, as well as
‘CHARM OFFENSIVE’: Beijing has been sending senior Chinese officials to Okinawa as part of efforts to influence public opinion against the US, the ‘Telegraph’ reported Beijing is believed to be sowing divisions in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture to better facilitate an invasion of Taiwan, British newspaper the Telegraph reported on Saturday. Less than 750km from Taiwan, Okinawa hosts nearly 30,000 US troops who would likely “play a pivotal role should Beijing order the invasion of Taiwan,” it wrote. To prevent US intervention in an invasion, China is carrying out a “silent invasion” of Okinawa by stoking the flames of discontent among locals toward the US presence in the prefecture, it said. Beijing is also allegedly funding separatists in the region, including Chosuke Yara, the head of the Ryukyu Independence
‘VERY SHALLOW’: The center of Saturday’s quake in Tainan’s Dongshan District hit at a depth of 7.7km, while yesterday’s in Nansai was at a depth of 8.1km, the CWA said Two magnitude 5.7 earthquakes that struck on Saturday night and yesterday morning were aftershocks triggered by a magnitude 6.4 quake on Tuesday last week, a seismologist said, adding that the epicenters of the aftershocks are moving westward. Saturday and yesterday’s earthquakes occurred as people were preparing for the Lunar New Year holiday this week. As of 10am yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) recorded 110 aftershocks from last week’s main earthquake, including six magnitude 5 to 6 quakes and 32 magnitude 4 to 5 tremors. Seventy-one of the earthquakes were smaller than magnitude 4. Thirty-one of the aftershocks were felt nationwide, while 79
MARITIME SECURITY: Of the 52 vessels, 15 were rated a ‘threat’ for various reasons, including the amount of time they spent loitering near subsea cables, the CGA said Taiwan has identified 52 “suspicious” Chinese-owned ships flying flags of convenience that require close monitoring if detected near the nation, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday, as the nation seeks to protect its subsea telecoms cables. The stricter regime comes after a Cameroon-flagged vessel was briefly detained by the CGA earlier this month on suspicion of damaging an international cable northeast of Taiwan. The vessel is owned by a Hong Kong-registered company with a Chinese address given for its only listed director, the CGA said previously. Taiwan fears China could sever its communication links as part of an attempt