Taiwan Simulates Mobile Network Disruptions During Air Raid Drills
By Devin Tsai/Lery Hiciano
Northern Taiwan held its urban resilience drills on Thursday, bringing traffic and businesses to a halt as residents evacuated streets and took shelter. The government says the simulated network slowdown is intended to give civilians a more realistic sense of what could happen during a conflict, while strengthening society-wide resilience.
Urban Resilience Drills in Taipei Test Readiness Amid Mobile Network Slowdown
REPORTER:
Right now in Taipei, sirens are going off, people are evacuating the streets, and police are redirecting traffic.
This is not a Chinese invasion, but a simulation designed to test how Taiwan would respond to one.
Cities across Taiwan are holding civilian air raid drills as part of Han Kuang Exercise 2026. It was northern Taiwan's turn on Thursday, after central, southern, and eastern communities held their own exercises earlier in the week.
Lai Ching-te (TAIWAN PRESIDENT):
Between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. your mobile communications may be affected. Entering or leaving areas may also be inconvenient so we thank everyone for their understanding. We also ask for your support because this is a necessary drill. The more we practice, the more resilient we become. The more resilient we are, the more that society can maintain its stability if a crisis occurs.
REPORTER:
Thursday’s drill saw sidewalks emptied, businesses unable to serve customers, and traffic come to a halt. And, in some places, people on the street were guided into air shelters - Those who didn’t comply risked fines of up to 4600 US dollars.
REPORTER:
We're in Ximending, normally one of Taiwan's most bustling tourist areas but right now, the streets are eerily quiet. Stores have rolled down their shutters, pedestrians have evacuated the streets, and drivers have pulled over - all to simulate how the city could react to a real attack. In previous years, people could sit inside and scroll on social media to pass the time, but this year's drill includes a mobile network slowdown, a more realistic and disruptive addition that reminds everyone of the real threats Taiwan faces.
China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, would likely target Taiwan's communication infrastructure in an attempt to take the country by force.
That’s why Taiwan’s government throttled local high speed and mobile networks for the first time as part of the drills -- giving civilians a taste of what could happen in an actual attack.
We asked passersby what they thought about the drill after it wrapped up.
PASSERBY:
I think this should be considered part of national defense.
I think we still need to practice otherwise one day people might not know how to respond.
Because we came here from France it was the first time my two young children saw something like this. They thought, “wow!” because it was very, very different. My son found it all a little frightening.
PASSERBY:
I just arrived in the country, and then the police were like, yo, get inside, get inside, get inside. I was like, why? And then they're like, there's missiles. I was like, am I gonna die? And they're like, no, no, no, you're cool. And then they said a drill on the thing. So I was like, oh, cool.
I was in the Taipei main station, just like with a bunch of people. But it was cute. They were playing like jazz music and stuff, so it wasn't that bad.
REPORTER:
We also asked businesses what they thought of the drills given the potential impact on their earnings.
BUSINESS:
We have to cooperate with the national drill. It makes no difference [to our business]! So we all support it. We all support it because it's for everyone's safety. We were already notified about this a few days ago so we were all prepared today.
BUSINESS:
I think it’s a good thing. Taiwan really needs drills like this especially since we’re in a somewhat dangerous environment. The impact [on business] is actually not too bad since it’s only 30 minutes. [These exercises] are necessary.
REPORTER:
The Han Kuang exercises are now in their ninth day and conclude Friday. And while troops practice operations across the country, exercises like Thursday's in the North are meant to prepare everyday people – all in an effort to increase society-wide resilience.
Devin Tsai and Lery Hiciano, for TaiwanPlus.
