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.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
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
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
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
RSS