The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that telephone numbers assigned to bankrupt First International Telecom would be reassigned to 4G service operators, adding that it would help the company’s users migrate to new telecoms under the number portability policy.
The personal handy-phone system (PHS) operator was declared bankrupt by the Taipei District Court on Monday.
The service has about 600,000 subscribers and only 100,000 of them are still paying fees.
NCC spokesperson Yu Hsiao-cheng (虞孝成) said the company has until Monday next week to appeal the court’s ruling.
“If it becomes clear that the company will not be able to continue operations, the commission will have to cancel its license to offer the PHS service, as well as the license to use the frequency,” Yu said.
Yu said the government had previously appropriated 2 million mobile phone numbers for First International, which would be taken back as well, adding that they would be reassigned to five 4G service operators: Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile, Far Eastone Telecommunications, Asia-Pacific Telecom and Taiwan Star.
“We hope that subscribers of First International can continue using their telephone numbers and can find services that suit them the most,” he said.
Some of the telecoms have expressed concerns on taking over customers from First International, as many were exempt from paying monthly fees and pay only the communication charges.
Founded in 1997, First International introduced the PHS service in 2001.
It promoted the service as a low-power system that produces fewer electromagnetic waves.
The service was widely used by healthcare professionals working in hospitals, as the use of PHS phones does not disrupt medical equipment.
The number of PHS system users reached its peak in 2005, but it soon declined after other telecoms introduced cheaper service plans and mobile Internet services gained popularity.
The NCC allowed First International to upgrade to a more advanced PHS system last year and approved its construction plan last month.
It also allowed the company to pay the license fee, as well as the frequency use fee, in installments to help ease the carrier’s financial burden.
The company’s license is valid for 15 years and is scheduled to expire on April 16 next year, the commission said.
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