Starting on Monday, people will be able to determine the quality of their cellphone services at any location using a new Web site from the National Communications Commission.
The Web site, called Information System of the Mobile Communication Service (行動通信電臺服務資訊系統), has a map showing information on the coverage and reception for both second-generation (2G) and third-generation (3G) cellular network services for all five telecom carriers in Taiwan proper.
The information, however, will not be available for Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu.
COLOR-CODED
The quality of reception will be represented by colors: green for “excellent,” yellow for “good,” orange for “fair” and white for “poor.”
Meanwhile, users can target a certain location and check the reception there.
They can also see if the 3.5G wireless service is available in that location.
The commission said there were many white spots for the 3G service because the 3G infrastructure has yet to be established in several areas.
The information on the map will be updated every six months.
The NCC said the system was created to provide useful information to consumers.
The telecoms carriers — Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile, Far Eastone Telecommunications, Vibo Telecom and Asia Pacific Telecom — first provided maps of service coverage, which were simulated with software that could integrate coverage data with the corresponding geographical information.
The carriers then conducted tests to reconfirm the paths of the signal transmission, which helped them adjust the information shown on the map.
OTHER FACTORS
However, the commission, warned consumers that the actual quality of mobile phone services could be affected by various factors, such as the sensitivity of a user’s mobile phone and the number of users sharing the network simultaneously.
Reception may also be bad if the transmission of signals is interrupted by buildings or large vehicles, the commission said.
The commission also emphasized that any communications could take place only when the cellphones and base stations can receive the signals transmitted by each and when the intensity of the signals are stronger than the sensitivity of the cellphones.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
Taiwanese celebrities Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) announced yesterday that they are planning to marry. Huang announced and posted photos of their engagement to her social media pages yesterday morning, joking that the pair were not just doing marketing for a new show, but “really getting married.” “We’ve decided to spend all of our future happy and hilarious moments together,” she wrote. The announcement, which was later confirmed by the talent agency they share, appeared to come as a surprise even to those around them, with veteran TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) saying he was “totally taken aback” by the news. Huang,
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) put Taiwan in danger, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday, hours after the de facto US embassy said that Beijing had misinterpreted World War II-era documents to isolate Taiwan. The AIT’s comments harmed the Republic of China’s (ROC) national interests and contradicted a part of the “six assurances” stipulating that the US would not change its official position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, Hsiao said. The “six assurances,” which were given by then-US president Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, say that Washington would not set a date for ending arm sales to Taiwan, consult
RSS