Far EasTone Telecommunications Co Ltd (遠傳電信), the nation’s No. 3 telecoms operator, launched a high-speed telecoms service yesterday using fourth-generation (4G) WiMAX technology, making it the second local telephone company to offer the service in Taiwan.
The phone company said the WiMAX service would mainly serve as an alternative to existing wireline Internet access at home and at work.
The move pits the company against Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), the nation’s biggest carrier, which has an 85 percent share of the market.
“With this technology, we can offer connections at speeds and quality that equal, or even surpass, any wireline service available today,” Jan Nilsson, vice chairman and president of Far EasTone, told a press conference in Taichung.
Nilsson said 3.5G technology was appropriate for mobile phone users who sought instant access and convenience, while WiMAX is more appropriate for Internet-heavy netbook users who are likely to download large files, movies, music or to play games on the Internet.
The WiMAX technology offers faster wireless transmission — between 4 megabit per second (mps) and 6mps — than the most popular wireline Internet access, which reaches 2mps, the company said.
Far EasTone has about 100 WiMAX sites in Taichung and intends to deploy more in southern parts of the country, including Tainan, Chiayi and Kaohsiung, in the first half of next year.
In 2007, Far EasTone was the only telecoms operator among the nation’s big three to obtain a license for 4G services on WiMAX technology. The license only allows the operator to offer WiMAX services in southern Taiwan.
The company is in talks with WiMAX license holders including Global Mobile Corp (全球一動), Tatung InfoComm Co (大同電信) and VMAX Co (威邁思) to provide WiMAX roaming services to areas beyond Taichung.
Far EasTone is offering the 4G services at a monthly fee of NT$599 (US$18.50) for unlimited wireless Internet access along with a free WiMAX dongle, or Customer Premise Equipment (CPE). Chunghwa Telecom charges NT$850 for a 3mps wireline Internet connection.
Separately, Far EasTone chairman Douglas Hsu (徐旭東), who doubles as chairman of Far Eastern Group (遠東集團), said the group was seeking merger and acquisition targets in China to expand the group’s presence in cement and textile sectors.
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