The Taiwanese government confirmed this week that it's in talks with Amazon's Project Kuiper subsidiary over a partnership for satellite-based communications.

Taiwan's technology minister Wu Cheng-wen told media earlier this week that the OneWeb network of French satellite operator Eutelsat, which partnered with the island’s state-backed Chunghwa Telecom last year, has fallen short of expectations.

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– Amazon

The government wants to look at alternative partners to preserve communications if China attacks, including the usage of satellites in medium and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for Internet services.

China has long viewed Taiwan as its territory, claims which have been rejected by the island state.

Speaking to the media this week, Wu noted that the government could work with other Western partners, noting Amazon's Kuiper as a stand-out contender.

“There are other companies in the Western world, including some from Europe and from North America and Canada, but Amazon Kuiper is the most mature in their development stage so far. So we are discussing with them at this moment if it is possible that we will have a collaboration in the future,” Wu said.

Taiwan's government also noted that Elon Musk's Starlink Internet service is not an option for them, citing his comments on Taiwan’s political status and business interests in China.

Musk has previously said Taiwan was an integral part of China, as claimed by Beijing, comparing Taiwan to Hawaii, which is a US state. China is the second largest market for Tesla, Musk's electric car business.

Amazon is set to begin its constellation launch soon, with services from LEO anticipated to begin next year.

The company has secured up to 83 launches from commercial space companies, Arianespace, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance (ULA), which will provide heavy-lift capacity for the program.

Plans for the company’s Project Kuiper constellation were first revealed in 2019 and Amazon aims to launch more than 3,000 satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) over the next few years to provide broadband connectivity.

Amazon has to launch half of its planned 3,236-satellite constellation by July 30, 2026, or risk losing its FCC license to operate the satellite network. To date, the company has launched two prototype satellites for the project, which have been de-orbited.

The launch of the first commercial Kuiper satellites was recently pushed back to Q4 2024. The first machines were previously set to launch in the first half of the year.