Taiwan Slows Mobile Internet to Text-Only Speed in Drill

Taiwan briefly throttled mobile internet speeds to text-only levels in Taipei and six other cities and localities on Thursday, part of the final phase of its annual Han Kuang military exercises simulating a response to a possible Chinese invasion.

Telecommunication operators slowed mobile web traffic to 256 Kbps for 30 minutes, making it difficult to do much beyond exchanging text messages. Residents in major cities normally have access to 5G service.

President Lai Ching-te apologized to the public for the disruption. "We ask for your understanding and support, as this is a necessary drill," he said.

Taiwan has increased the intensity of the Han Kuang exercises in recent years, incorporating reservists and civilians with a greater focus on real-world scenarios. Previously, urban resilience drills in Taipei drew little attention because they caused minimal disruption — air raid drills in metro stations, for instance, did not interrupt passenger flow.

This year, coordinating with local governments and integrating civilians into the drills was a central focus, according to the Taipei Times.

At a Taipei metro station Thursday afternoon, passengers waited for the gates to reopen after they were shut for an air raid drill simulation. Allen Hsieh, a tourist from Hong Kong among those waiting about 30 minutes to be let out, said he found the exercise convincing.

"The exercise did not cause me any inconvenience. I know that Taiwan needs to conduct exercises, given the current situation. I can understand that," he said. "I did not expect it to be so real. I thought I would only receive text messages."

Lai also visited a hospital as it simulated relocating critical operations to underground facilities during the drills.

Taiwan has ramped up defense exercises and military purchases amid heightened tensions with China, which claims the self-governing island as its own territory. China regularly sends military planes, coast guard ships and other vessels toward Taiwan and periodically conducts large-scale military exercises nearby.

Between Wednesday and Thursday morning, 18 Chinese warplanes and 11 navy ships operated around Taiwan, the island's Defense Ministry said.