The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said it has approved the sale of 20 5G-compatible phone models in Taiwan, including nine models that have not yet been released.
Since 5G services were launched in Taiwan on July 1, demand for monthly plans has remained low, with consumers deterred by high prices, limited network coverage and a narrow choice of available phones.
Eleven 5G-compatible phone models are currently available in Taiwan — seven made by Samsung, two by Oppo, and one phone each by Sony and LG.
Photo: Wu Po-wei, Taipei Times
Nine of them cost between NT$20,000 and NT$40,000, while two of the Samsung models cost as little as NT$12,000.
An NCC official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that consumers would soon have a broader range of options, as the commission has approved the sale of 20 more models.
Several industry insiders have also expressed confidence that 5G phone sales would increase when new and more affordable phones are brought to market in the second half of the year.
Phone sales in the first half of the year totaled 2.9 million, falling short of forecasts, as demand was most likely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Far EasTone consumer business vice president Andy Tu (杜偉昱) said.
In the second half of the year, sales are expected to rebound to 3.6 million, with the release of the new iPhones and other models, which would also drive up demand for 5G service plans, Tu said.
Meanwhile, Chunghwa Telecom’s sale of monthly 5G plans is still under 100,000, company chairman Hsieh Chi-mao (謝繼茂) said, adding that the slow sales were likely due to the high cost of 5G-compatible phones.
The second half of the year would be the turning point for the company’s 5G business when more moderately priced phones become available, including Apple’s new iPhone models in late September or early October, Hsieh said.
Taiwan’s HTC Corp is scheduled to release a 5G-compatible phone by the end of the month, while Chinese brand Huawei has received conditional NCC approval for the sale of one of its models.
However, Chinese brands are still facing uncertainties over the approval of their models, as a new NCC regulation bans the use of language deemed to “harm national dignity,” prohibiting brands from describing Taiwan as part of China in their terms and conditions.
The rule, passed in an amendment to Article 20 of the Compliance Approval Regulations of Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (電信終端設備審驗辦法) in March, also allows the NCC to revoke approvals if any such language is found on a product, its packaging, instruction manual or software.
However, the NCC has already approved the sale of 5G phone models made by Chinese companies, NCC Vice Chairman Wong Po-tsong (翁柏宗) said.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to