Taiwan is working to deploy a fleet of high-altitude balloons and drones to serve as a backup internet backbone to ensure uninterrupted communication in case of a natural disaster or military conflict, Taipei Times reported.

The Ministry of Digital Affairs explained in a statement balloons and drones are inexpensive, and can be sourced from allies and operate within Taiwan’s airspace.

The ministry is partnering with latex balloon maker TH Aero Tech, the Industrial Technology Research Institute, the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, the National Taipei University of Science and Technology, and Taiwan’s three mobile operators Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile and Far EasTone, the newspaper wrote.

In October, the group trialled its first high-altitude communications balloon fitted with a base station.

Chunghwa Telecom, which signed a deal with Eutelsat OneWeb last year, is expected to have access to low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet service soon.

The government has said backup a satellite service is vital if the island’s communications networks are disrupted.