Fourth-generation (4G) telecom service operators can share core networks, provided they first change their business plans and receive official approval, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.
The issue was discussed yesterday in relation to the case of Asia Pacific Telecom offering 4G services via a network built by Taiwan Mobile.
The firms claimed to have a roaming agreement, but were each fined NT$300,000 in February for failing to report the alliance to the commission.
Last week, the commission fined Asia Pacific Telecom NT$300,000 for failing to fulfill service commitments as stated in its business plan and for not applying for changes in its business plan as legally required.
Prior to yesterday’s discussion, the commission determined that Asia Pacific Telecom simply used the core network constructed by Taiwan Mobile to offer 4G services, which is different from how normal roaming agreements work.
The discussion helped set the principles for how the commission would handle similar cases in the future, commission spokesperson Yu Hsiao-cheng (虞孝成) said.
Even though the commission has decided to allow 4G operators to share the use of a core network, this does not mean that one carrier can simply use another carrier’s network without building or using its own network at all, Yu said.
“The carrier that wants to use a network built by another and the telecom firm that allows a second carrier to use its network must first apply for changes in their business plans, which must be approved by the commission before they can share a network,” Yu said.
Taiwan Mobile is to be penalized as well under the principles laid out yesterday, as it failed to apply for changes to its business plan when it allowed Asia Pacific Telecom to use its network, Yu said.
Although Article 11 of the Telecommunications Act (電信法) is widely perceived as a mandate for telecom companies to build their own network, Yu said that the legislation is intended to make sure that any exception to such a principle would not contradict other articles in the act.
“Based on the same article, some first-tier telecom firms can lease backhauls from other carriers or use coordinated radio access network to offer service. It does not mean that every signal landline must be constructed by the carrier itself,” Yu said.
Despite the permission, Yu said that those applying for permission to lease their core networks to other carriers must meet several additional criteria before they are allowed to do so.
For example, carriers must build at least 1,000 base stations and establish a coverage area of greater than 50 percent, he said.
“They must also demonstrate that they have sufficient capacity to handle the increase in communication volume caused by sharing the network with other carriers and that the service quality would not be compromised,” Yu said.
Yu said a carrier must also gradually reduce its reliance on another carrier’s network.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
RSS