The nation’s major telecom operators yesterday unveiled their first iPhone upgrade programs for subscribers in which subscribers who want a new model each year will be able to do so by paying an additional NT$258 (US$7.81) per month, upon the launch of the iPhone 6S series next week.
The announcement by local carriers came after Apple Inc and US carriers started offering upgrade programs and financing plans last month that let consumers swap their old iPhone for a new one every year.
Far EasTone Telecommunications Co Ltd (遠傳電信), the nation’s No. 3 telecoms operator, yesterday launched an iPhone upgrade program that lets subscribers to pay a monthly fee of NT$599 to upgrade to a new model after 12 months of payments.
Photo: CNA
The new program “will allow iPhone users to trade in their old iPhones for a new one every year for free before their service contract is due,” Far EasTone said in a statement released yesterday.
Local telecom companies usually subside subscribers’ purchase of iPhones along with a 24-month service contract.
Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大), the nation’s No. 2 telecom carrier, is to offer a hardware protection service, similar to AppleCare, with an extra benefit of early iPhone upgrade.
As Apple launches a new iPhone every year, “most local consumers are locked into buying a new one every year,” Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大) chief business officer Jeff Ku (谷元宏) said.
“To cater to consumer demand, the company offers an upgrade program for local customers to get a new iPhone in 12 months, similar to the program launched by Apple earlier this year for the US market,” Ku said.
Based on Taiwan Mobile’s program, subscribers are required to pay NT$258 per month in exchange for a 12-month hardware protection plan and the extra benefit of an early iPhone upgrade.
Taiwan Mobile are also to offer discounts up to NT$7,500 on new iPhones.
Taiwan Mobile and Far EasTone are accepting pre-orders of the iPhone 6S family, which is to be released on Friday next week.
Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), the nation’s largest telephone company, plans to offer an upgrade program for its iPhone users next week, Chunghwa Telecom president Lin Kuo-feng (林國豐) said.
Lin did not provide details.
To vie for a bigger share of 4G users, Asia Pacific Telecom Co (亞太電信) on Thursday launched a new service for consumers pre-order iPhone 6S.
Asia Pacific, a telecom subsidiary of iPhone assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), is to pay compensation of up to NT$777 per day if the company does not deliver the phone within seven days after the launch.
Taiwan Star Telecom Corp (台灣之星) said it is to offer the low rate plans for iPhone 6S models.
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