Taiwan's expertise in the telecommunications industry and its experience in digital infrastructure development could help the EU "bridge the broadband gap," said a Taiwanese official invited to attend an EU conference on the Internet-access gap between Europe's big cities and its remote or more underdeveloped regions.
Wang Ting-an (
Wang on Monday delivered a speech on Taiwan's experience, "Bridging the Broadband Gap 2007."
He said private Taiwanese companies that had taken part in broadband infrastructure development in Taiwan could also lend their experience or sell their know-how and systems to EU countries.
Broadband is the backbone of a society grounded in access to knowledge, he said, adding that it provides access to advanced public services and richer multimedia content for entertainment, training and work.
With broadband, new forms of business innovation can transform the lives of individuals, increase social cohesion and contribute to economic growth, officials from the European Commission have said. The commission, which is the top decision-making EU body, sponsored the conference held on Monday and Tuesday.
Joining the commissioners were around 600 delegates, including experts who spoke about strategies for boosting regional and local development and infrastructure, overcoming geographical obstacles, and making remote areas more attractive to businesses and individuals.
Participants in the conference agreed that improving broadband infrastructure would not only benefit EU economies, but also help improve the quality of life for people in less-developed regions and remote areas.
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