Taiwan’s National Communications Commission (NCC) has stated that 172 telecom base stations have been impacted by this morning's earthquake.

As reported by Taiwan News, all three of Taiwan’s major telecom companies, Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile, and FarEasTone have been affected after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the island.

The earthquake, which is the strongest to hit Taiwan in 25 years, struck near the city of Hualien on the east coast at around 7:58 am local time. At the time of reporting, seven people have been confirmed dead and at least 700 have been injured.

The publication reports that Chunghwa Telecom has 125 affected base stations, Taiwan Mobile reported 33, and FarEasTone Telecom reported 14 have been impacted.

The sites have been knocked offline due to power transmission interruptions caused by the earthquake, said the NCC.

“Overall, the affected areas are mainly in Yilan and Hualien, with mobile network-related services primarily affected,” said NCC vice chairperson Wong Po-tsung.

“The NCC has requested that telecom companies make every effort to repair the damage to enable communication for the public, and the companies estimate that repairs can be completed today."

It was revealed earlier today, that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has halted operations and evacuated a number of its plants in Taiwan in the wake of the earthquake.

“Initial inspections show that construction sites are normal. However, the company has decided to suspend work at construction sites for today, and work will resume following further inspections," said a TSMC spokesperson to DCD.

Taiwan is particularly prone to earthquakes because it sits near the convergence of two tectonic plates.