Can Ham Radio Help Taiwan Survive?

In Taiwan, a nonprofit civil defence group, Ganghu, has started training people on how to communicate using amateur radio, also known as ham radio, if the internet is unavailable. This comes as Beijing, which claims democratically self-governed Taiwan as its own territory, faces allegations of sabotaging and damaging Taiwan’s undersea internet cables.

Taiwan currently relies on 15 international and 10 domestic communication cables to carry more than 90% of its internet traffic. Without these, the island could be cut off from the outside world, and even internal communications would likely collapse.

These internet cables, often described as the island's "digital lifelines," are damaged an average of seven to eight times a year, according to a 2025 report by Taiwan's National Security Bureau. 

As authorities scramble to protect cables and build satellite-based backup systems, some citizens are turning to amateur radio as a solution.