The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said it has asked the Telecom Technology Center to conduct large-scale testing on mobile Internet services this year in a bid to reduce consumer complaints.
“Consumers and telecoms operators have their own explanations as to why the speed of transmission on mobile Internet services is slow,” NCC spokesperson Chen Jeng-chang (陳正倉) said.“We hope that testing conducted by a reliable third party will help to find a method of accurately measuring the transmission speed of mobile Internet services, which could help resolve many disputes.”
At present, customers can have unlimited access to a mobile Internet service by paying a flat rate per month, also known as an “all-you-can-eat” service.
Chen said the commission would also review this type of service, as some consumers have abused it by downloading large quantities of data, slowing the operation of the entire network.
Chen said the commission would consider the possibility of having a tier-pricing system for mobile Internet services, in which customers may have to pay more if they want to enjoy faster transmission speeds.
“We cannot simply ask the operators to keep installing more infrastructure,” Chen said. “The price of the service is another factor. We are not saying that we are about to increase the price. We are simply saying that we will set a fair pricing scheme by considering all the factors, from the supply as well as the demand sides.”
Meanwhile, Minister-Without-Portfolio Simon Chang (張善政) said yesterday that it is important that everybody has access to a broadband Internet service, as it is a basic human right.
Chang also said that telecoms carriers should reduce their service charges if they cannot meet the minimum guaranteed bandwidth they promise.
In response, Chen said that the government should budget to fund improvements to the nation’s broadband Internet services if they are indeed a basic human right.
“The key is how the government should execute the policy,” Chen said, adding that the commission fully supports the concept of broadband Internet service being a basic human right.
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