National Communications Commission (NCC) could issue three licenses for long-term evolution (LTE) technology by 2014, National Communications Commission chairperson Su Herng (蘇蘅) said yesterday.
“The Ministry of National Defense has promised to cede the 700 megahertz [MHz] band by the end of this year,” Su said. “We are now planning to reserve the 700MHz, 900MHz and 1,800MHz bands for the development of a 4G network.”
Su made the comments following a meeting with the nation’s telecoms carriers on Monday.
Last year, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the commission agreed that the nation would issue only technology-neutral licenses in future, which would allow carriers to quickly adapt to rapid changes in technology.
The UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has recognized LTE and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access as two technologies that could potentially lead to the development of 4G networks.
A network must fulfill the data transmission speed requirement of 100 megabits per second for high-mobility communications and 1 gigabit per second for low-mobility communications to be considered by the ITU to be a “4G” network.
LTE technology appears to have gained the upper hand since it has been adopted by more countries. However, no LTE service provider in the world fulfills the requirements set by the ITU.
Legislators have panned the commission for falling behind Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea, which all provide LTE.
The nation has six WiMAX service operators, and four of them have discussed the possibility of a merger.
Asked if the commission would allow WiMAX operators to automatically switch to LTE technology, Su said the commission did not consider this an option.
“We want the interested operators to bid for the [LTE] licenses. The frequency they use should be treated like a piece of prime real estate that becomes available following a zoning change,” Su said.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS