The National Communications Commission (NCC) is soon to announce which telecoms are eligible to bid in a 4G spectrum auction, following interviews yesterday between the commission’s review committee members and telecom company executives.
The interviews were held as part of preparations for the third auction of 4G spectrum access, which is to be held at the end of this month.
Asia-Pacific Telecom chairman Lu Fang-ming (呂芳銘), Taiwan Mobile Co chairman Daniel Tsai (蔡明忠), Taiwan Star chairman Ringo Chao (趙國帥), Far EasTone Telecommunications chairman Douglas Hsu (徐旭東) and Chunghwa Telecom chairman Cheng Yu (鄭優) attended the event.
Asia-Pacific Telecom is targeting spectrum that has not been used by other telecoms, Lu said after the event, adding that the company needs to secure either the 1,800 megahertz (MHz) or 2,100MHz frequencies.
Asia-Pacific Telecom wants to acquire a bandwidth of at least 10MHz at the auction, he said.
Having deployed more than 10,000 base stations, Lu said that the company would focus on small cells to raise its service coverage, adding that it is a way for new telecoms to compete with larger carriers that dominate the market.
The government requires telecoms participating in the auction to improve their 4G capabilities in remote areas as part of the government’s commitment to uphold people’s right to access digital services, Lu said.
Asia-Pacific Telecom would aim to achieve such a policy goal, he added.
However, telecoms should be allowed to jointly build base stations and share frequencies and networks, Lu said, adding that infrastructure construction costs could be spared to develop new applications, such as the Internet of Things.
Hsu said that Far EasTone Telecommunications is still considering the bandwidth that it aims to get through the auction, adding that 4G service is a maturing market.
The frequencies that Far EasTone Telecommunications wins at auction would be used to develop new applications and innovative services, which should help increase revenue, Hsu said.
Securing more bandwidth would not only help Chunghwa Telecom serve its 3G and 4G subscribers, but would also enable the company to develop 5G services, Cheng said.
As mobile communications service revenue has been declining, the company has to find new sources of revenue and increase investment in infrastructure to maintain its service quality, Cheng said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese