The government plans to release 5G telecom licenses in 2020, National Communications Commission (NCC) Chairwoman Nicole Chan (詹婷怡) confirmed yesterday, adding that the Executive Yuan would decide on the frequency bands to be auctioned off by the end of this year.
Chan was asked by lawmakers at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee if the government planned to postpone the auction.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) asked if the commission was being cautious, as it was quoted in a media report as having said that the nation should be “a smart follower of technology.”
Photo: Liu Li-jen, Taipei Times
A lot of people are looking forward to the start of 5G services, because 4G no longer satisfies their demands, DPP Legislator Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) said.
He asked if the commission has estimated the number of licenses that would be issued, as 5G service providers would need more bandwidth.
DPP Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) asked if any of the nation’s five telecoms had requested that the commission delay the auction, as they have yet to recover their costs from the 4G auction and the construction of the 4G system.
Premier William Lai (賴清德) on Wednesday said that the government is scheduled to issue 5G licenses in 2020, which is consistent with the commission’s plans, Chan said.
The commission never said that it planned to postpone the auction or hold it early, she said, adding that it aims to have all the frequency bands designated for the auction by the end of this year.
The bandwidth for 5G operators must be at least 80MHz to 100MHz, Chan said, adding that the commission must first ascertain the total number of frequency bands in the high, medium and low frequencies that can be put up for auction before determining the number of licenses that should be released.
No telecoms have indicated that they want the auction be postponed, Chan said.
Even though the 5G licenses would not be released until 2020, the nation’s three big telecoms — Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile and Far EasTone Telecommunications — are eager to get ahead of the competition, Chan said.
Chunghwa Telecom was the nation’s first to be able to transmit at speeds fulfilling the 5G specifications laid out by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, Far EasTone was recently admitted to the 5G Automotive Association, and Taiwan Mobile is already forming partnerships with 50 domestic and international companies and plans to conduct 5G service experiments next year, Chan said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS