Taiwan tests emergency response in first mobile network throttling drill

Taiwan this year incorporated a simulated wartime communications-disruption scenario into its annual Urban Resilience air-defense exercises for the first time, testing contingency responses when communications infrastructure is damaged or connectivity is constrained.

In interviews with TCN, reactions were mixed, while an expert said the exercise was necessary.

The drill

According to the Executive Yuan, the simulation featured a large-scale mobile network throttling drill for the first time to simulate extreme conditions, assess the government’s response under constrained communications, and raise public awareness of backup communications options and emergency resilience.

The drill was conducted in two regions: central Taiwan on Aug. 10 and northern Taiwan on Aug. 13, with each 30-minute afternoon exercise focusing on mobile network traffic restrictions that reduced data speeds and could affect high-bandwidth services, including video streaming, video calls, mobile payments, and cloud synchronization.

The mobile-network throttling exercises concluded at 3 p.m. on Aug. 13. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said the exercises had specifically incorporated a mobile-network throttling component, which could affect people’s mobile communications.

Through the drill, the government hopes to familiarize the public with emergency response measures, help them prepare psychologically for unexpected situations and strengthen society’s overall disaster resilience, Cho said.

Local response

Central Taiwan was the first region to undergo the throttling exercise. Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said the city’s 1999 service hotline received 28 inquiry calls during the drill, only two of which concerned reduced mobile internet speeds, suggesting that most residents understood the new exercise arrangement.

Lu said the exercise had proceeded largely smoothly, based on the overall volume of calls and inquiries, and that the public was gradually developing a better understanding of how to respond during air-defense drills.

Lu said the figures showed residents knew the exercise was taking place and were thinking through how they might respond in an emergency. She thanked residents for their cooperation.

Taipei was included in the second round of exercises. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) visited a local shopping district to inspect civilian evacuation and shelter drills, but did not respond when asked by reporters to rate the exercise, according to NOWNEWS.

During the drill, usually crowded streets in Taipei’s commercial districts were quickly cleared. However, a small number of people were unaware that the Urban Resilience Exercise was taking place and were urgently directed by police to seek shelter indoors.

Street-level

Ms. Ho, who operates a coffee shop in Taichung, told TCN that she knew about the exercise in advance but felt little impact because she remained in her shop throughout the day.

She said she understood the purpose of the drill, although she felt its practical effect was limited. Still, she said she would support similar or expanded exercises in the future.

Mr. Huang, who works in the information technology sector in Taipei, told TCN that while he was aware of the drill beforehand, he still found it inconvenient.

He said the exercise left him unsure of its purpose. If the government intended to simulate a communications blackout, he said, it should be paired with other relevant drills; otherwise, its significance was unclear.

For future exercises, Huang said the government should provide more comprehensive supporting measures, including clear instructions on where people should go for shelter and how they could receive current information if internet access were unavailable.

Mr. Chiu, who works in the trading industry in Taipei, told TCN that he knew about the drill in advance and experienced little disruption while working at his office.

He said he was unsure whether the exercise had achieved the government’s intended objectives, though he was willing to assume that it had.

Nevertheless, he said the government should avoid expanding similar drills in the future because they were highly disruptive to the public.

Expert view

Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), director of the Division of Defense Strategy and Resources at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), told TCN that adding a mobile-network throttling drill was very necessary.

From a global perspective, Su said, NATO member states, the United States and Singapore have all conducted similar exercises.

Network services can be disrupted or become unavailable during natural disasters and wartime emergencies, he said. By simulating such conditions through reduced mobile data speeds, Taiwan can help the public adapt in advance and consider alternative ways to communicate, including conventional voice calls and text messages.

Su noted that the exercise would also help Taiwan prepare for extreme weather disasters, citing Typhoon Danas, which struck southern Taiwan in July 2025 and knocked down nearly 2,500 utility poles, triggered widespread power outages, and disrupted mobile communications.

Under such circumstances, he said, the throttling drill can simulate conditions that may arise during either natural disasters or wartime emergencies.

To further develop such exercises and build public support, Su said the government could draw on practices in other countries. Singapore’s Exercise SG Ready 2026 simulated disruptions to digital connectivity and included public preparedness contests with prizes, according to the country’s Ministry of Defence. 

Su said incentive measures could provide useful reference points for Taiwan and help future exercises proceed more smoothly.