A number of rival carriers on Thursday sharply criticized a proposed alliance between Asia Pacific Telecom Co (亞太電信) and Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大) that would allow 4G roaming for subscribers of the two companies.
The alliance is designed to expand 4G services beyond the six special municipalities covered by Asia Pacific Telecom, a latecomer to the race for the latest generation of mobile broadband technology.
Under the proposed data roaming arrangement between the two carriers, subscribers who venture beyond Asia Pacific’s covered zones into more rural areas will still have access to mobile broadband via Taiwan Mobile’s 4G network.
However, Taiwan Star Telecom Corp (台灣之星) president Cliff Lai (賴弦五) cried foul, saying that such an arrangement would cause serious disruptions in the entire telecom sector.
“Should carriers be allowed to skirt the obligations of committing to the massive costs of building network infrastructure after acquiring operating licenses for their 4G frequency blocks?” Lai asked.
“The alliance is tantamount to opening Pandora’s box,” he added.
Taiwan Star had earlier filed a motion with the National Communications Commission to halt the alliance.
Lai hinted that the nation’s two other major telecom operators — Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) and Far EasTone Telecommunications Co (遠傳電信) — were also investigating the matter.
He said the privacy of Asia Pacific subscribers might be compromised if their mobile devices have to access another carrier’s network for data roaming.
Asia Pacific currently offers 4G contracts at significantly lower monthly rates than other carriers, which is believed to be a contentious issue in the telecom industry.
In response to the criticism, Taiwan Mobile said the alliance is aimed at covering gaps in Asia Telecom’s 4G coverage, and that the two companies do not intend to share their core network assets. Taiwan Mobile added that it is willing to extend the arrangement to other carriers and collaborate with them.
Asia Pacific said in a statement filed with the Taiwan Stock Exchange yesterday that it did not violate any rules by offering roaming service on Taiwan Mobile’s network.
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