Chunghwa Telecom Co (
"We are assessing [the possibility.] ... If we do, the investment will be minimal, as we see it as a strategy to preempt" the risk of being left out of the WiMAX market, Shih Mu-piao (
Shih declined to discuss the details of the potential investment.
Chunghwa Telecom failed to win a regional WiMax license in a July auction to offer the high-speed telecom services.
The company said at the time that it would join the next bid in 2009 for a nationwide license.
Before launching its own WiMAX services, Shih said, Global Mobile's operations could test the waters, as the investment required for launching WiMAX service would be massive and the returns could be limited by technological barriers and competition.
Experience with WiMAX at home could also pave the way for Chunghwa to expand overseas, he said.
Shih's comments came in response to a report in the Chinese-language Economic Daily News yesterday about the company's potential alliance with Global Mobile.
Global Mobile is chaired by Rosemary Ho (
Global Mobile is faced with a year-end deadline to increase its capital to more than NT$1 billion (US$30.78 million), as requested by the National Communications Commission (NCC).
Six companies have been awarded licenses to build and operate WiMAX networks in Taiwan. Global Mobile, Vmax Telecom Co (
The companies were given 18 months to build WiMax service networks and are required to launch their commercial operation within six months of completing the construction.
Global Mobile had NT$1.14 million in capital when it last published company figures. If it misses the deadline to hit the capital minimum, it could lose its license after a three-month grace period.
Global Mobile was not available for comment yesterday. Earlier this month, Ho said the firm's fund-raising efforts were running smoothly. The telecom company is scheduled to unveil new shareholders by the end of this month.
Meanwhile, Vastar has applied to the NCC for an extension to meet capitalization requirements and First International announced in September a plan to raise NT$3 billion by issuing 250 million common shares via private placement.
Far EasTone, Tatung and Vmax said earlier that they have obtained sufficient capital to guarantee their ability to carry out their WiMAX plans.
BYPASSING CHINA TARIFFS: In the first five months of this year, Foxconn sent US$4.4bn of iPhones to the US from India, compared with US$3.7bn in the whole of last year Nearly all the iPhones exported by Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團) from India went to the US between March and last month, customs data showed, far above last year’s average of 50 percent and a clear sign of Apple Inc’s efforts to bypass high US tariffs imposed on China. The numbers, being reported by Reuters for the first time, show that Apple has realigned its India exports to almost exclusively serve the US market, when previously the devices were more widely distributed to nations including the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. During March to last month, Foxconn, known as Hon Hai Precision Industry
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and the University of Tokyo (UTokyo) yesterday announced the launch of the TSMC-UTokyo Lab to promote advanced semiconductor research, education and talent development. The lab is TSMC’s first laboratory collaboration with a university outside Taiwan, the company said in a statement. The lab would leverage “the extensive knowledge, experience, and creativity” of both institutions, the company said. It is located in the Asano Section of UTokyo’s Hongo, Tokyo, campus and would be managed by UTokyo faculty, guided by directors from UTokyo and TSMC, the company said. TSMC began working with UTokyo in 2019, resulting in 21 research projects,
Ashton Hall’s morning routine involves dunking his head in iced Saratoga Spring Water. For the company that sells the bottled water — Hall’s brand of choice for drinking, brushing his teeth and submerging himself — that is fantastic news. “We’re so thankful to this incredible fitness influencer called Ashton Hall,” Saratoga owner Primo Brands Corp’s CEO Robbert Rietbroek said on an earnings call after Hall’s morning routine video went viral. “He really helped put our brand on the map.” Primo Brands, which was not affiliated with Hall when he made his video, is among the increasing number of companies benefiting from influencer
Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) yesterday expressed a downbeat view about the prospects of humanoid robots, given high manufacturing costs and a lack of target customers. Despite rising demand and high expectations for humanoid robots, high research-and-development costs and uncertain profitability remain major concerns, Lam told reporters following the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting in Taoyuan. “Since it seems a bit unworthy to use such high-cost robots to do household chores, I believe robots designed for specific purposes would be more valuable and present a better business opportunity,” Lam said Instead of investing in humanoid robots, Quanta has opted to invest
RSS