TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A suspected major system failure at Chunghwa Telecom Company, Ltd. (中華電信) in Changhua region led to a complete blackout of landline services, crippling emergency reporting systems from 12:16 a.m. on Tuesday (July 2).
The mobile network struggled to restore connectivity, with the ability to dial 110 only resurfacing around 12:50 a.m., while the emergency number 119 didn't return to normalcy until approximately 1 a.m.
Social media users voiced their concerns about the "unusable landline phones." Some speculated that the recent high temperatures in Changhua may be the cause, while others suggested different reasons. The exact cause, however, awaits further clarification from Chunghwa Telecom.
At 12:55 a.m., a user on the Changhua Whistleblower Network (彰化踢爆網), an online Facebook group, posted that all phones in Changhua County were disconnected, leading some to believe there was a fault in the telephone lines.
Journalists' tests confirmed that dialing local numbers from mobile phones was impossible. Emergency numbers 110 and 119 either remained silent or displayed a busy line. The disruption started around 12:10 a.m. and lasted nearly an hour before services were restored to normal around 1 a.m.