The government would allow telecoms to shut down 3G systems by 2024 if consumers’ rights are protected and the penetration rate for the nation’s voice over long-term evolution (VoLTE) system is high, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said on Wednesday.
The matter was raised when NCC officials met with executives of the nation’s five major telecoms on Tuesday afternoon to discuss 5G-related issues.
Telecoms could shut down 3G systems by 2024 if the nation’s VoLTE service has a high adoption rate and telecoms ensure that consumer rights are fully protected, NCC Deputy Chairman and spokesman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said.
Photo: Chen Ping-hung, Taipei Times
“The policy would help reduce maintenance costs of the telecom infrastructure. The spectrum used to build the 3G system could also be used to build the 5G system,” Wong said.
The requirement for telecoms to accommodate 3G, 4G and 5G systems takes up too much space in their facilities and consumes a tremendous amount of electricity, Wong said, adding that the new policy would curb carbon emissions, use the frequency spectrum more efficiently, and reduce telecoms’ maintenance and operating costs.
Telecoms should not encounter many technical difficulties in shutting down 3G systems as they experienced the termination of 2G systems, Wong said.
Telecoms, which are to set their own timetable for the shutdown, can terminate their 3G before 2024 if they satisfy the two requirements, he added.
Asked about the 5G strategic partnership between Far EasTone Telecommunications Co and Asia Pacific Telecom Co, Wong said that each acquired part of the 5G spectrum under the Telecommunications Act (電信法).
However, the act was replaced by the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法) on July 1, so the companies would need to comply with the new act when applying to have their partnership approved, he added.
The new act gives telecoms greater flexibility in developing new business models, such as allowing them to share frequency bands, Wong said.
“We have not received their applications, but in considering the case, we would need to deliberate multiple aspects of the deal, including proposed changes to shareholding structure and business plans, as well as plans to share frequency bands and build networks together,” Wong said.
In other news, the commission said that it must approve TVBS Media’s appointment of Sheena Liu (劉文硯) as company president before the management change can be finalized.
The company made the announcement on Tuesday in compliance with conditions set by the commission in July, when it approved the company board’s appointment of VIA Technologies chairman Chen Wen-chi (陳文琦) as chairman.
Chen must not serve as TVBS chairman and president, the commission had said, adding that within a month of when its ruling was mailed, the company needed to recruit another person to serve as president.
To ensure that the newsroom is independent, Liu must join Chen and the broadcast news department managers in signing an ethical guidelines declaration within one week of her appointment.
Someone who is not a shareholder, but who has journalism experience must also be selected to serve on the board within six months of the ruling.
The commission said that it must receive the company’s application for a management change by Monday next week.
A special task force would first review the application to determine if Liu is qualified and if it fails to make a final decision, the task force would turn the case over to the commissioners, the commission added.
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
TEMPORAL/SPIRITUAL: Beijing’s claim that the next Buddhist leader must come from China is a heavy-handed political maneuver that will fall flat-faced, experts said China’s requirement that the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation to be born in China and approved by Beijing has drawn criticism, with experts at a forum in Taipei yesterday saying that if Beijing were to put forth its own Dalai Lama, the person would not be recognized by the Tibetan Buddhist community. The experts made a remarks at the two-day forum hosted by the Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama titled: “The Snow Land Forum: Finding Common Ground on Tibet.” China says it has the right to determine the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, as it claims sovereignty over Tibet since ancient times,
Temperatures in some parts of Taiwan are expected to fall sharply to lows of 15°C later this week as seasonal northeasterly winds strengthen, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. It is to be the strongest cold wave to affect northern Taiwan this autumn, while Chiayi County in the southwest and some parts of central Taiwan are likely to also see lower temperatures due to radiational cooling, which occurs under conditions of clear skies, light winds and dry weather, the CWA said. Across Taiwan, temperatures are to fall gradually this week, dropping to 15°C to 16°C in the early hours of Wednesday
RSS