TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Taiwan-Matsu No. 4 undersea cable should be completed next year, telecom operator Chunghwa Telecom told lawmakers Wednesday.

Natural aging but also damage caused by ships with links to Chinese interests were held to be responsible for several breakdowns of underwater cables around Taiwan. Chunghwa Telecom emphasized that in each case, backup systems were available to minimize the fallout from the incidents.

The company assured a delegation of lawmakers visiting Matsu that even if cable and microwave connections went down, there were still enough other systems to keep the islands linked to the rest of the country, per CNA. If one of the two existing cables could not function, microwave served as a backup, but if that went down too, there would be satellite connections, the company said.

Chunghwa Telecom confirmed the No.4 cable between Dongyin Island and Bali in New Taipei should be finished by June 2026 according to plan. The cable will be protected by metal or plastic tubes and avoid busy fishing grounds over its 303-kilometer length.

Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and Digital Minister Huang Yen-nun (黃彥男) accompanied the legislators on their visit to Matsu, also known as Lienchiang County.