The government needs to set a clear timetable for the use of high-speed 4G long-term evolution (LTE) technology, if Taiwan plans to play catch-up with other countries in East Asia, local telecom operators said.
The operators made their appeal following recent reports that the government is likely to issue licenses for 4G LTE connectivity from July next year at the earliest. The government’s original timetable was to begin issuing 4G licenses in July 2015 and launch commercial operations in 2017.
Josephine Juan (阮淑祥), a spokeswoman for Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大), said that if the government intends to issue 4G licenses ahead of schedule, it needs to make the development timetable clear to the public.
Keeping potential participants in the 4G business well informed is the best thing the government can do to help telecom service providers chart their business strategies for future development, Juan said.
National Science Council Minister Cyrus Chu (朱敬一) has warned that if Taiwan fails to speed up its development of 4G networks, it will lose its lead in the information and communications technology business. South Korea has allowed two of its telecom operators to provide 4G networking services, he said.
However, Far EasTone Telecommunications Co (遠傳電信) chairman Douglas Hsu (徐旭東) said that for the new business to grow, it would need to be supported by sound infrastructure and other supplementary measures.
A representative from the local telecom business, who asked not to be named, said one potential problem for telecom operators in developing 4G networks would be that many local residents oppose the construction of base stations in their neighborhoods.
Another thorny issue would be how to price 4G services because the fees for current fixed-line and mobile communications services are on the decline, impacting telecom operators’ profitability, the representative said.
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