Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) yesterday said it aims to double the number of private networks deployed for enterprise customers this year, allowing manufacturers and logistics companies to build smart factories or automate operations.
The nation’s biggest telecom said 5G technology is a game changer, as it provides services and has the level of reliability, speed and communications coverage necessary for smart manufacturing and smart transportation, as well as other services that cannot be fulfilled using 4G technology.
With its 5G services entering their second year, Chunghwa Telecom aims for a private network revenue of NT$1 billion (US$35 million) this year, vice president Chia Chung-yung (賈仲雍) told reporters on the sidelines of the annual Smart City Summit and Expo.
Photo courtesy of Chunghwa Telecom Co
“Building private networks for enterprise customers is still an emerging business,” Chia said.
Chunghwa Telecom said it last year secured about 30 programs to help customers create private networks with dedicated 5G-enabled bandwidth and infrastructure that meet their specific connectivity needs.
The company aims to double that number this year, it said.
Photo: CNA
Revenue contribution from such services are projected to reach NT$70 billion this year, accounting for one-third of Chunghwa Telecom’s total revenue, it said.
The telecom said it provides tailor-made private networks for a wide range of sectors from manufacturing, agriculture and healthcare to steel and logistics.
Chunghwa Telecom said it has extended its services overseas. It has secured 5G-enabled private network projects from its partners in Thailand and is in talks with other customers in Southeast Asia. The company declined to disclose the names of its partners.
Separately, Far EasTone Telecommunications Co (遠傳電信) yesterday said revenue from non-telecom services, such as information and communication technology, cloud-based services and Internet of Things, is expected to grow by double-digit percentages this year from last year.
Far EasTone expects growth to come from smart city-related services, remote medical treatment and monitoring, and cloud-based digital transformation solutions, company president Chee Ching (井琪) told reporters on the sidelines of the expo.
Far EasTone yesterday showcased a new smart traffic signal uninterruptible power system (UPS) for Gogoro Inc (睿能創意), an electric scooter maker and battery swapping service provider.
The smart traffic signal UPS is equipped with two swappable Gogoro smart batteries that can maintain traffic signals for up to three-and-a-half hours, and are connected to Far EasTone’s UPS monitoring platform to perform real-time monitoring and power outage alerts, Gogoro said in a statement.
Maintenance teams can detect an outage and repair it quickly, and if the outage lasts longer, maintenance teams can swap out depleted batteries for fresh ones to extend the service time of the signal, it said.
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