The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday rejected Tatung Infocomm’s license renewal application and said it has to return the spectrum it owns to the commission after its license expires at the end of the year.
NCC spokesperson Yu Hsiao-cheng (虞孝成) said the commission turned down Tatung Infocomm’s application because it failed to build 1,837 WiMAX base stations as stated in the business plan it submitted to the commission.
As of May 31 this year, the company had built only 681 base stations, Yu said.
The commission also conducted random inspections of the base stations and found that 47 were not functioning, he said.
Article 46 of the Regulations for Administration of Wireless Broadband Access Business (無線寬頻接取業務管理規則) lists seven conditions for denying a license application, the most important of which is failure to complete the system construction plan or execute the responsibilities stated in the business plan without justifiable reasons, Yu added.
“The company argued that it failed to deliver on its promises to construct the base stations because there were no international manufacturers producing base stations for WiMAX services anymore,” Yu said. “However, we found an Israeli manufacturer that is still producing WiMAX base stations, so there is no justifiable reason for the company not to fulfill the terms of its business plan.”
Tatung Infocomm launched its WiMAX service in 2009. It has 3,557 service subscribers.
Cheng Ming-tsung (鄭明宗), head of the commission’s mobile communications section, said that Tatung Infocomm could continue providing the service until its license expires on Dec. 3.
Cheng added that the company is obligated to give its subscribers at least one month’s notice before terminating the service.
The company is also obligated to return the spectrum which it acquired through an auction to the commission after its license expires, he said.
Tatung Infocomm is the nation’s first WiMAX operator to apply for a license renewal.
Telecommunication industry insiders said that the commission’s ruling serves as a warning to other WiMAX operators, as many have not completed the installations stated in their business plans.
WiMAX operators are currently using spectrums in the 2.6 gigahertz (GHz) frequency.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has announced that the government would place the 2.6GHz band up for auction to long-term evolution (LTE) technology, also known as 4G, telecom service providers next year.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS