Far EasTone Telecommunications held its 2026 shareholders meeting on May 20. They announced that it had achieved year-on-year growth in consolidated revenue and profit in 2025, while signing a cooperation agreement with Amazon Leo, Amazon's low-earth-orbit satellite network service, to introduce LEO connectivity to Taiwan, pending regulatory approvals. Executives said the company will focus on scaling group synergies, expanding service offerings, and amplifying AI benefits to sustain its growth trajectory in 2026.

U-leam said LEO satellites will remain its primary growth engine for the next few years, while quantum computing, medical devices, robotics, and drones will form the company's second wave of expansion. The firm reported full-year 2025 revenue of NT$5.88 billion (US$185.58 million), a 52% gross margin, operating profit of NT$233 million, and earnings per share of NT$4.69. It disclosed that about 90% of current revenue came from a single LEO satellite customer.

SpaceX's IPO preparations are accelerating the commercialization of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, renewing global attention on satellite communications. The LEO sector's sharp growth in 2025 and expected expansion in 2026 could reshape connectivity worldwide, as rising demand for inter-satellite, satellite-to-gateway, and satellite-to-mobile links drives higher frequencies and services.

Rising global geopolitical tensions are driving up defense budgets worldwide and boosting demand for rugged computers. Getac expects rugged computer shipments to grow by a double-digit percentage in 2026, driven mainly by defense demand. Additionally, demand related to drones has increased significantly and is expected to account for 5-10% of rugged computer revenue over the next 12 months.

Taiwan assembled its largest-ever delegation for the "Taiwan Pavilion" at the Xponential 2026 exhibition co-hosted by the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), which ran from May 11 to 15 in Detroit. The delegation aimed to show the international community Taiwan's commitment and capabilities in building a core hub for the global non-China drone supply chain.

China's Ministry of Public Security announced on May 18 that authorities had uncovered nearly 10 cases nationwide involving illegal modification of drone flight-control systems that removed no-fly zone restrictions, bypassed maximum altitude limits, and altered payload parameters. The agency said the actions created potential public-safety, civil aviation, and military-control risks and pledged continued high-pressure enforcement against illegal decryption and unauthorized flights.

Thunder Tiger Group, a Taiwanese defense and unmanned systems manufacturer, said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with US defense technology company Shield AI to integrate the American firm's Hivemind autonomous software into Thunder Tiger's unmanned platforms, beginning with its Sea Shark unmanned surface vessel.

In April 2024, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) executed one of the most significant overhauls of its military architecture in decades. The former Strategic Support Force was disbanded and reorganized into three distinct branches: the Military Aerospace Force, the Cyberspace Force, and the Information Support Force. Together with the existing Joint Logistics Support Force, these constitute a new four-branch support structure — one designed not merely to support terrestrial warfare, but to dominate the space domain itself.

Taiwan's legislature recently passed the final version of a special defense budget totaling NT$780 billion (approx. US$24.75 billion), but drone-related funding was not approved. The decision has drawn attention from Taiwan's domestic drone industry, with groups including the Taiwan Defense Industry Development Association (TW-DIDA) and Taiwan National Drone Industry Association (TNDIA) issuing statements calling for continued efforts to strengthen Taiwan's democratic supply chain.

The global satellite industry is entering what many executives and analysts describe as a historic turning point, as telecommunications operators increasingly integrate satellite connectivity into mainstream communications infrastructure and commercial services.