A ferry that serves the Taiwan-Penghu route has a new broadband internet connection. Phone signal out at sea has traditionally been nonexistent or very patchy. It’s a big problem for ferry workers who spend long periods at sea separated from family and friends. But now, a project by the Ministry of Digital Affairs has brought signal to 90% of the route, which Minister Audrey Tang says is a human rights issue. Maritime experts say they hope similar upgrades can be brought to other routes in Taiwan’s waters.

The Penghu launched last year. In the past, phone signal was unavailable on the ship while at sea, but now it’s easy to send messages and photos to friends.

The Ministry of Digital Affairs worked with central and local government departments as well as telecoms providers to set up five new base stations, and improve 81 preexisting stations in the sea of Tainan and Kaohsiung. The upgrades mean you have internet signal throughout 90% of the 4.5-hour journey of the Penghu.

Audrey Tang Feng
Digital affairs minister
At the Ministry of Digital Affairs, we see broadband internet as a basic human right. We realized that this kind of ferry can be remodeled into a kind of quasi-base station. Normally it would take more than a year to build one station. But we have completed the line in just six months.

Yu Cheng-lieh
Captain of The Penghu
I remember when the internet was connected, I was on the ship and I received a text from my child, saying, “Happy birthday dad!” It’s impossible to express the warmth you get from such a message.

There’s both 4G and 5G phone signal, which means a lot for people who work on the ship long-term, and will no longer be cut off from family and friends. Now there are questions about whether the system can be extended to other shipping routes around Taiwan.

Yeh Hsieh-lung
Maritime & Port Bureau head
Every year, 600,000 trips are taken along the Budai-Makung Route. This upgrade will provide a good communication service. We can ask the Ministry of Digital Affairs to collaborate with us again on the Taima Route and Eastern Route.

This milestone in maritime internet provision will have a big impact on sailors and allow people traveling to Penghu to post photos of the beautiful ocean journey in real time.

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