Chunghwa Telecom Co (CHT, 中華電信) yesterday announced a NT$300 million (US$10.53 million) investment in Kaohsiung’s Asia New Bay Area (亞洲新灣區) along with 13 corporate partners to build information and communications technology (ICT), and 5G infrastructure in the area.
The investment is also aimed at developing new applications for 5G as part of the 5G AIoT (artificial intelligence of things) International Alliance, which the Kaohsiung City Government initiated on Nov. 30 last year, comprising the city government, some central government agencies, technology companies and telecoms.
Chunghwa Telecom was the first among the nation’s telecoms to obtain a 5G license from the government. It launched its 5G services on July 1 last year.
Photo: CNA
Chunghwa Telecom chairman Sheih Chi-mau (謝繼茂) told a news conference in Kaohsiung that its new investment would create more than 500 jobs over the next three years.
The project is a key part of Kaohsiung’s digital transition and would “let the world see Taiwan’s 5G capabilities,” Sheih said.
According to the company’s plan, Chunghwa Telecom would build a fiber-optic network in the Asia New Bay Area, construct cloud servers and create a 5G private network in the next three years.
The area would be a testing ground for new 5G applications, such as smart manufacturing, artificial reality/virtual reality, drone deliveries and other new applications, the company said.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said that Chunghwa Telecom’s expertise with ICT would help Kaohsiung maximize its metropolitan capability.
“We hope Chunghwa Telecom will help push Kaohsiung’s digital transition and diversified industrial development forward, and accelerate the city’s development toward becoming a 5G smart port city,” Chen said.
Chunghwa Telecom’s 13 corporate partners include Microsoft Corp, Coretronic Corp (中光電), Jorjin Technologies Inc (佐臻), GoodLinker Co (谷林運算), Askey Computer Corp (亞旭電腦), Linker Networks Inc (寶蘊凌科), Techman Robot (達明機器人), iStaging Corp (愛實境) and WiAdvance Technology Co (緯謙科技).
Merida Industry Co (美利達) has seen signs of recovery in the US and European markets this year, as customers are gradually depleting their inventories, the bicycle maker told shareholders yesterday. Given robust growth in new orders at its Taiwanese factory, coupled with its subsidiaries’ improving performance, Merida said it remains confident about the bicycle market’s prospects and expects steady growth in its core business this year. CAUTION ON CHINA However, the company must handle the Chinese market with great caution, as sales of road bikes there have declined significantly, affecting its revenue and profitability, Merida said in a statement, adding that it would
Greek tourism student Katerina quit within a month of starting work at a five-star hotel in Halkidiki, one of the country’s top destinations, because she said conditions were so dire. Beyond the bad pay, the 22-year-old said that her working and living conditions were “miserable and unacceptable.” Millions holiday in Greece every year, but its vital tourism industry is finding it harder and harder to recruit Greeks to look after them. “I was asked to work in any department of the hotel where there was a need, from service to cleaning,” said Katerina, a tourism and marketing student, who would
i Gasoline and diesel prices at fuel stations are this week to rise NT$0.1 per liter, as tensions in the Middle East pushed crude oil prices higher last week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday. International crude oil prices last week rose for the third consecutive week due to an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, as the market is concerned that the situation in the Middle East might affect crude oil supply, CPC and Formosa said in separate statements. Front-month Brent crude oil futures — the international oil benchmark — rose 3.75 percent to settle at US$77.01
RISING: Strong exports, and life insurance companies’ efforts to manage currency risks indicates the NT dollar would eventually pass the 29 level, an expert said The New Taiwan dollar yesterday rallied to its strongest in three years amid inflows to the nation’s stock market and broad-based weakness in the US dollar. Exporter sales of the US currency and a repatriation of funds from local asset managers also played a role, said two traders, who asked not to be identified as they were not authorized to speak publicly. State-owned banks were seen buying the greenback yesterday, but only at a moderate scale, the traders said. The local currency gained 0.77 percent, outperforming almost all of its Asian peers, to close at NT$29.165 per US dollar in Taipei trading yesterday. The