The government launched the “Intelligent Life SIG” platform to develop information and communication technology (ICT) services to help create a digital environment.
Since 2001, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has had a strategic alliance with the ICT industry through a platform called the Communication Leaders United Board, or the 3G Club. The club’s main objective was to integrate third generation (3G) wireless communications with applications in other fields, such as construction, medicine and home-and-office security.
Now the ministry is preparing to create a network by utilizing advanced digital technologies, such as wireless sensor networks and wireless broadband telecommunications, across a broad spectrum of applications, and the 3G Club has been renamed the WIT Club, short for Wireless & Information Technology Communication Leaders United Board.
The WIT Club will generate an estimated NT$3 billion (US$986 million) in production value and NT$1 billion in investment value within the next three years, the ministry said.
Woody Duh (杜紫軍), the director of the ministry’s Department of Industrial Technology, said the government would provide the advanced technologies and know-how to help local industries upgrade their digitalized services.
While economic development is often measured in terms of business income, he said, “oftentimes we fail to measure our success in terms of happiness in our daily lives.”
“By incorporating digital communications into infrastructure and products to make our everyday lives more efficient and convenient, Taiwan could become a digital technology island,” Duh said.
For example, the housing sector could use 3G communication technologies to offer residents wireless services to streamline communications with the rest of the world, he said.
Ho Ming-chin (何明錦), a senior ministry official, said that the ICT industry could use digital communications to create new products and applications in fields such as architecture, and could explore the overseas market.
“Such an initiative could spur more export business for the local private sector,” he said.
Industry leaders who are joint partners in the development of the Intelligent Life platform said it will focus on research into wireless communication, electronics and information technology to help build an “intellectual living environment” full of convenient services.
“In addition to making our lives more comfortable, the value-added products and services will give Taiwan’s industry an edge in global competition,” said Rock Hsu (�?�), the chairman of the WIT Club.
Alongside the key local ICT players, such as BenQ Corp (明基) and Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), think tanks such as the Industrial Technology Research Institute and Institute for Information Industry will play major roles in the research work.
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