THE PLA has installed three transmission stations in the Spratly Islands in a move apparently intended to improve communication between patrolling vessels and the command headquarters in the archipelago.
The Liberation Army Daily said on Friday that the stations were installed at the end of September on three reefs, including Yongshu.
Yongshu Reef was said to be a major PLA stronghold with heavy military installations, including a weather observatory.
The paper said the new stations would allow PLA vessels patrolling the South China Sea to receive television transmissions from the satellite dishes set up a decade ago on all the reefs.
Antennas had also been installed on all navy vessels patrolling the area to enable them to receive 24-hour transmissions, it said.
The decision to build the stations came after three trips to the Spratlys by PLA naval chiefs this year.
