The Taipei City Government yesterday started a new service dubbed "Taipei Life EZ Call" that provides various kinds of information by calling any touch-tone phone, including mobile phones. The city's Information and Technology Center made the announcement.
Taipei Life EZ Call provides a source for people who need instant information by calling 6626-2100 on local telephones or 2100 on their cell phones. Chunghwa Telecom Co subscribers need to dial 62100.
More than 30 EZ Call channels are provided on phone numbers that the Taipei City Government frequently uses, such as daily headline news, weather information, bus-route information, broadcasting programs and information about art and entertainment, Information and Technology Center officials said.
"By dialing code 22, foreigners can obtain frequently used numbers, such as that of the American Institute in Taiwan," Chang said. "The system allows users to retrieve information from anywhere in the country, said Chang Chun-hung (
The EZ Call service charges the same as local fixed-line and mobile phone rates, Chang said.
By collaborating with mobile service providers Chunghwa Telecom Co, Taiwan Cellular Corp, Far EasTone Telecommunications Co and KG Telecommunications Co, the EZ Call service is a part of the "New Cyber City" project, which was initiated four years ago by Taipei city Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
"It's now quite convenient to surf the Internet since the "New Cyber City" project was implemented," Ma said. "More than 72 percent of Taipei citizens over the age of 12 have learned to use the Internet.
The city government created this new service for providing instant and handy information for residents who are unable to access a computer," Ma said.
After trying the EZ Call service, Ma suggested increasing the menu size. He also suggested adding more channels in English for foreign users.
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