Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大) is studying the possibility of investing in the telecom markets of India and Indonesia, company chairman Richard Tsai (蔡明興) said at the annual general meeting.
Tsai told shareholders that the two markets offer good potential for growth, so the company is evaluating opportunities to invest there.
He said that while India already has many telecom services providers, leading to intense competition and a price war, it has a huge population, creating business opportunities, in particular in data transmission, which is expected to rise.
Photo: CNA
Tsai said that Taiwan Mobile is evaluating the likelihood of teaming up with local telecom operators to win a slice of the 4G market at a time when the Indian market is migrating to 4G technology.
However, any plans about investment in India still needs time to be finalized, he said.
In addition to the expansion in telecom services overseas, Tsai said that Taiwan Mobile has been eying the e-commerce potential in Southeast Asia, adding that Momo.com Inc (富邦媒), its e-commerce subsidiary, has been gearing up to explore the markets in the Philippines and Vietnam.
In particular, Momo.com is seeking a business partner in the Philippines and an agreement on a strategic partnership is expected to be reached by the end of this year, he said.
Taiwan Mobile holds a 51 percent stake in Momo.com, which has been listed on the local main board since December 2014.
In Thailand, Momo.com owns a 35 percent stake in e-commerce operator TVD Shopping.
Tsai said that TVD Shopping has become profitable and is planning to file an application next year to list its shares in Thailand’s stock market.
In Taiwan, Taiwan Mobile is determined to develop its third-party payment business, Tsai said, adding that the company is planning to start an over-the-top (OTT) content business by signing up for good drama series and movies from across the Taiwan Strait.
OTT content can be transmitted through delivery of audio, video and other media over the Internet without the involvement of a multiple-system operator.
Tsai said that Taiwan Mobile has set a target of boosting the number of its 4G subscribers to 5 million next year, up from 3 million at the end of last year, by encouraging existing 2G and 3G subscribers to migrate to 4G.
Shareholders approved a proposal for Taiwan Mobile to distribute NT$5.6 in cash dividends based on last year’s earnings per share of NT$5.76 for a payout ratio of 97 percent.
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