Far EasTone Telecommunications Co Ltd (遠傳電信) yesterday said that it has 300,000 5G subscribers, as it looks to triple its 5G customer base to 1 million subscribers next year.
It means the telecom is making faster progress in upgrading to 5G than its original target of signing up 300,000 5G subscribers six months after the commercial launch of its services in July.
Far EasTone yesterday said that it would retain its goal of converting 50 percent of its 4G subscribers to 5G within three years of the launch.
Photo courtesy of Far EasTone Telecommunications Co
The telecom’s 5G network coverage has also advanced faster than expected, to 55 percent of the nation as of last week, with the highest local coverage of 92 percent in Taipei.
It had originally aimed to boost its coverage to 50 percent of the nation by the end of this year.
There is a good chance that its coverage could top 90 percent next year, Far EasTone said.
The company plans to add another 4,000 5G base stations next year, after installing 4,000 this year, Far EasTone president Chee Ching (井琪) told reporters on the sidelines of the annual IEEE Global Communications Conference in Taipei.
In total, 10,000 5G base stations have been installed in Taiwan, Ching said.
Far EasTone plans to widen its 5G network by upgrading its 4G base stations next year, she said.
With more base stations to be installed, Ching expects the company’s capital spending to increase next year from this year’s NT$10.2 billion (US$357.7 million), the highest since 2015.
Far EasTone in January secured 80 megahertz in the 3.5 gigahertz band of the 5G spectrum and 400 megahertz in the 28 gigahertz band at a combined cost of NT$43.04 billion.
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