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.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS