Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), the nation’s biggest telecom operator, yesterday said it aims to boost the number of its 4G subscribers to as many as 7 million this year to safeguard its 40 percent market share.
That would represent about 59 percent annual expansion, compared with last year’s 4.4 million 4G users of Chunghwa Telecom, a slower growth from the peak period last year.
“Our 4G customer base is growing at a stable pace,” Lin Kuo-feng (林國豐), president of Chunghwa Telecom’s mobile business group, told a media briefing. “Our goal is to add at least 2 million new 4G users this year.”
FASTER GROWTH NEEDED
However, Chunghwa Telecom needs to grow faster to maintain its leading position in Taiwan’s 4G market, as the number of overall 4G users in the nation is forecast to reach 18 million this year, market researcher IDC said.
Chughwa Telecom has been targeting a 40 percent share of the 4G market since the launch of the high-speed and data-oriented services. Last year, it held a 38 percent share.
“It is possible for the nation’s [4G subscribers] to hit 18 million [users] this year. We will try to hit our target,” Lin said.
The company has about 5.5 million 4G users, more than two years after first offering 4G services in May 2014.
FIXED RATE PHASE-OUT
In April, Chunghwa Telecom raised the threshold for its 4G flat-rate packages to more than NT$1,100 per month in a gradual effort to scrap fixed rates.
The company said the new 4G policy does not hamper its growth of 4G subscriptions. It will take a longer time for the company to entirely eliminate flat rates for its 4G services, it said.
POP STAR SPOKESMAN
To speed up migration to the 4G network, Chunghwa Telecom yesterday hired Singaporean crooner JJ Lin (林俊傑) as its brand spokesman, targeting young mobile users. Lin won his second Best Mandarin Male Singer at the Golden Melody Awards last week.
The company said it purchased about NT$4.4 billion (US$136.3 million) of telecom equipment to enhance its 4G coverage and to boost capacities of its 4G base stations after it launched its newly acquired 2.6-gigahertz spectrum in March.
The company currently operates more than 10,000 4G base stations across the nation.
It plans NT$30.6 billion in capital spending this year, up 22 percent from last year’s NT$25.08 billion.
Chunghwa Telecom shares dropped 0.84 percent to NT$118 in Taipei trading yesterday. That underperformed the TAIEX, which fell 0.51 percent.
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