China Network Systems Co (中嘉網路), a multiple-system operator, yesterday officially launched its voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) phone service, becoming the first operator to integrate digital cable broadcasting, broadband Internet access and VoIP in one cable modem.
With the "Triple Play" service, subscribers of China Network can pay NT$299 per month for a cable modem with a speed of 384/128k, the same rate charged by Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) for its 128/64k Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) broadband service.
The service is now available in Taipei County, and a trial was launched on month ago for about 3,000 of China Network's cable broadcast service subscribers in the region, said Gary Tsai (蔡俊榮), vice president of China Network.
Currently, there is no per-call charge on top of the monthly fee.
The firm's rate policy for calls will be made in accordance with feedback from users, and will be revealed in the next three to six months after a significant amount of customers have signed up, Tsai said.
China Network plans to invest NT$5 billion to build infrastructure throughout the nation for the three-in-one service, and targets expanding it to southern Taiwan, with a goal of acquiring 200,000 subscribers by the end of the year, he said.
As consumers tend to subscribe to ADSL broadband service instead of cable modem Internet access, Nelson Chang (張安平), chief executive officer of China Network, said there is still room for this niche market.
"To take a leading role in the market, we must offer what consumers want, and that is a one-stop solution that can fulfill their needs," Chang said yesterday at a press conference to launch the service.
"Besides, the penetration rate of cable TV is 85 percent in Taiwan, giving us an advantage to promote the business among our cable subscribers," he said.
Chang also urged the government to amend the Broadcasting and Television Law (廣電法), and the Telecommunications Law (電信法) to allow broadcasting operators to have telecommunications businesses, an issue that has been on the table for the past few years.
The current laws benefit state-run Chunghwa Telecom the most, Chang said, enabling it to maintain its monopoly in the fixed-line business while making inroads in the digital broadcasting market to compete with private operators.
Due to the ban imposed by the law, China Network is working with private fixed-line service providers, including Taiwan Fixed Network Co (台灣固網) and Sparq (速博) to provide the VoIP service.
"With the development of the Internet, which can incorporate various services including telephony, the outdated law should be revised to create a fair environment ... and help the market to grow further," Chang said.
MANAGING RISKS: Taiwan has secured LNG sufficient to cover 95 percent of electricity demand for next month, UBS said, describing the government’s approach as proactive UBS Group AG has raised its forecast for Taiwan’s economic growth this year to 8 percent, up from 6.9 percent previously, and said expansion could reach as high as 8.6 percent if external energy shocks are avoided. The upgrade reflects a stronger-than-expected first-quarter performance and sustained momentum in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven exports, which UBS said are providing a firm foundation for growth despite geopolitical and energy risks. Taiwan’s GDP expanded 13.69 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, the fastest growth since the second quarter of 1987, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) reported on Thursday. On a seasonally
Ryanair, Transavia, Volotea and other low-cost airlines are feeling the financial pain from high jet fuel prices as a result of the Middle East war and are cutting flights. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has taken a huge chunk of oil supplies off the market, sending the price of jet fuel soaring and triggering fears of shortages that could force airlines to cancel flights. Airlines are not waiting for a lack of supplies to react. “Travel alert: Airlines are cutting thousands of flights right now,” Travel Therapy host Karen Schaler said in an Instagram reel this past weekend.
Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) have repeatedly hit new highs, but an equity analyst said the stock’s valuation remains within a reasonable range and any pullback would likely be technical. The contract chipmaker’s historical price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio has ranged between 20 and 30, Cathay Futures Consultant Co (國泰證期) analyst Tsai Ming-han (蔡明翰) told Central News Agency. With market consensus projecting that TSMC would post earnings per share of about NT$100 (US$3.17) this year, supported by strong global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications, and the stock currently trading at a P/E ratio of below 25, Tsai said the valuation
The US Department of Commerce last week ordered multiple chip equipment companies to halt shipments of certain tools to China’s second-largest chipmaker, Hua Hong Semiconductor Ltd (華虹半導體), its latest action to slow the country’s development of advanced chips, two people familiar with the matter said. The department sent letters to at least a handful of companies informing them of restrictions on tools and other materials destined for two Hua Hong facilities US officials believe make China’s most sophisticated chips, the people said. Top US chip equipment companies Lam Research Corp, Applied Materials Inc and KLA Corp, each of which has significant
RSS