National Communications Commission Chairperson Howard Shyr (石世豪) yesterday credited the nation’s growth in 4G telecom service users as one of the commission’s major accomplishments, saying the number has exceeded 11 million in only one-and-a-half years after the service launched in the middle of 2013.
Shyr made the remarks at a ceremony in celebration of the commission’s 10th anniversary since its establishment.
Shyr said that the Legislative Yuan had passed a resolution requiring the commission to deliver a plan on how to issue 4G licenses by July 2014.
However, he said that the commission succeeded in issuing the 4G licenses in October 2013, generating a total revenue of NT$118.65 billion (US$3.55 billion) for the treasury.
Shyr said the number of 4G users had topped 11.6 million only one-and-a-half years after the service became available, which was five times faster than the growth rate for the 3G service users.
Taiwan has not only the fastest-growing 4G user base in the Asia-Pacific region, but around the world, he said.
“When I became chairman three years ago, the penetration rate of the digital cable TV service was 18 percent. Now, the figure exceeds 87 percent,” he said.
Minister Without Portfolio Jaclyn Tsai (蔡玉玲) said that four chairpersons had presided over the commission in the past 10 years, adding that the commission was able to achieve great things during their terms.
Apart from issuing the 4G licenses, she said that the commission also helped build a system in Namasiya Township (那瑪夏) in Kaohsiung to ensure that communications would not be disrupted by natural disasters.
It also worked to protect children and the youth by establishing an organization to gather complaints about online content and hand them over to government agencies, she said.
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