Although third-generation (3G) mobile-phone services won't be available in Taiwan until next year, vendors at the Taipei International Telecom Show yesterday were showing off what high-speed Internet connections will have to offer.
Mobile-phone makers such as Motorola and Samsung are introducing their 3G-capable handsets for use in conjunction with local service operators.
Motorola brought to the show its new A830 handset, which is set to hit the streets in the UK and Hong Kong by the end of the year, when 3G services are launched in those two markets.
The planned 3G services are expected to revolutionize the way people access the Internet, allowing the freedom to get e-mail, send pictures or locate oneself on a map via mobile phones, anywhere in the world, with high-speed data transmission.
Taiwan issued five 3G licenses in February, with the first services expected to be available in spring next year.
Asia Pacific Broadband Wireless Communication Inc (亞太行動寬頻), one of the five licensees, hopes to be the first to enter the market.
"We will be the nation's first company operating 3G services ? starting in March 2003," said the company's vice chairman, Wang Lin-tai (
Chinese media reported earlier this month that Asia Pacific had signed a letter of intent with telecom equipment vendor Nortel to establish a 3G network.
Taiwan PCS Network Inc (
Several handset makers have expressed strong interest in talking with these two companies.
"Of course we are interested in cooperating with 3G operators to push new handsets ? and we're actually already in talks," said Frances Yi (
Rival Korean telecom giant Samsung Electronics is also keen on cooperating with local players.
"We will link up with Asia Pacific for 3G handsets when they kick off their services," said Roh Ki Hak (
The company is showcasing more than a dozen 3G handsets in its nearly 20 booths at this year's telecom show.
"With some operators in Korea already offering 3G trial services, we have some experience to share with Taiwanese companies," he added.
Other than 3G, handset companies are also promoting multimedia messaging services (MMS) at the show.
In an effort to boost usage, service operators Taiwan Cellular Corp (台灣大哥大), Far EasTone Telecommunicatons Co's (遠傳電信), TransAsia Telecommunications Inc (泛亞電信), Mobitai Communications Co (東信) and Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) were all offering MMS hands-on testing at the show.
According to Ann Liang (
"But it will take time before the market really picks up," she said.
The four-day show runs through Monday at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall. The show is open to the public from 9am to 6pm today and tomorrow, and from 9am to 3pm on Monday. Admission is NT$200 per person.
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