Although 3G mobile network licenses will expire at the end of the year, about 300,000 3G users have yet to switch to 4G plans, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.
The commission was to brief lawmakers at the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee about its budget plan for fiscal 2019.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) said that many senior citizens and residents in remote areas are still using 3G.
The commission must help users migrate to 4G services by allowing them to change contracts online, or via telephone or text messages, he said.
The commission must ensure that the personal information of the users, many of whom are older or economically disadvantaged, is kept safe, he said.
In response, NCC Chairwoman Nicole Chan (詹婷怡) said that telecoms have already been offering easier ways for 3G users to change their contracts.
Some lawmakers expressed concern about the launch of 5G networks, the frequency spectrums for which the commission plans to put up for auction in 2020.
As 5G uses higher-frequency radio spectrums, such networks would have a shorter transmission range, DPP Legislator Lee Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said.
That means at least four times the number of transmission towers used for 4G service would be needed to ensure good 5G coverage, he said.
The commission must prioritize creating an environment in which telecoms can compete fairly and normally, Chen said, adding that the firms should not engage in price wars that could affect service quality, which would hurt the government, telecoms and consumers.
Countries such as the US, Japan and China have all limited the number of licenses to three or four, so the commission should offer no more than three, he said.
Chan confirmed that more base stations would be required for 5G services.
However, she said that 5G base stations would be different from those used for 4G, as they would be smaller and telecoms could share some of the base stations.
The Executive Yuan has proposed that telecoms jointly build the high-speed service infrastructure, sharing “a telecom service freeway.”
However, the government should instead consider the possibility of companies sharing certain frequency bands or building base stations together, Chan said.
The commission would look at other countries when deciding how many 5G licenses to issue, Chan said.
Whether a high, medium or low-frequency radio spectrum would be used would also affect the number of licenses issued, she said.
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