Taiwan Drills

People take cover inside at a MRT station during the Urban Resilience (Air-Defense) Exercise, part of the annual Han Kuang military exercises in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026.

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Taiwan briefly slows its mobile internet to text-only speed as part of defense drill

Taiwan briefly slows its mobile internet to text-only speed as part of defense drill

For 30 minutes, the internet in parts of Taiwan crawled. The slowdown Thursday for people in Taipei and other cities was part of annual military exercises that aim to model a response to a possible Chinese military invasion. Mobile web traffic was slowed to a speed adequate for texting mostly. 5G access is more typical in Taiwan's cities. Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te apologized for the inconvenience, but emphasized the drill's necessity. This year, the exercises included more civilians and coordination with local governments. The drills come amid rising tensions with China, which frequently sends military planes and ships towards Taiwan.