Far EasTone Telecommunications Co (FET, 遠傳電信) has set a goal to convert more than half of its post-paid mobile subscribers to 5G within three years of the debut of the services in July last year, the company said yesterday.
The uptake of its 5G services gained pace last year as Far EasTone reached its target of accumulating 300,000 subscribers in early December, one month ahead of its original expectations, it said.
It is well on track to reach its next goal of converting 20 percent of its post-paid mobile users to 5G subscribers in the third quarter of this year, the company said.
Photo: CNA
That would translate into about 1 million 5G users, as Far EasTone’s post-paid subscribers had risen 1.1 percent to about 5.41 million as of Dec. 31 last year, it said.
“In the long term, the [penetration rate] would reach 50 percent in three years,” Far EasTone consumer business unit executive vice president T.Y. Yin (尹德洋) said. “Young people in urban areas are earlier adopters of our 5G services, as they are more willing to try new services and new technologies.”
A wider selection of 5G smartphones is favorable for higher 5G uptake, said Andy Tu (杜偉昱), a senior vice president of Far EasTone’s merchandise business unit.
Some smartphone vendors plan to roll out mid-range 5G models next quarter, priced at NT$6,000 each, which would lead 5G phones to post significant growth in market share, compared with 4 percent in July last year, when local telecoms launched 5G services, Tu said.
As 5G technology allows smoother access to high-resolution videos, the firm saw a significant increase in mobile data usage from 5G subscribers, averaging 63 gigabytes per month compared with 3.6 gigabytes per month by 4G users, Far EasTone president Chee Ching (井琪) said.
To satisfy rising demand, the company aims to boost its 5G network coverage to about 90 percent by the end of this year, from about 65 percent, Ching said.
It has so far deployed more than 5,000 5G base stations, she said.
Far EasTone has budgeted NT$14.9 billion (US$527.19 million) for capital spending this year, mostly to fund 5G network deployment, an increase of 37 percent from last year’s NT$10.9 billion, she said.
Given the heavy investment in 5G bandwidth and network buildup, the company hopes there would be no price wars, Ching said, adding that it would be best if local peers and consumers are rational about prices.
Far EasTone books NT$170 million per month for 5G bandwidth, as well as NT$10 billion for equipment depreciation, she said.
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