The National Communications Commission (NCC) is to begin accepting applications in June from telecoms planning to offer low-Earth orbit satellite services.
The commission reached the decision after approving draft rules governing the appropriation and assignment of radio frequency bands for satellite communications in its weekly meeting on Wednesday.
The rules are to be open for public scrutiny for 60 days, NCC Vice Chairman and spokesman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said, adding that the commission would host information sessions next month or in May to gather opinions before announcing the finalized rules.
Photo: Yang Mien-chieh, Taipei Times
Industry observers attributed the commission’s accelerated timeline to complete the regulatory framework for low-Earth orbit satellite services to the activity of people caught up in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainians have been able to upload videos and photographs of war zones to the Internet through satellites provided by Starlink, a unit of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Corp.
Satellite communications can be backup channels for public telecommunications networks, and reinforce links at sea, as well as on outlying islands and in mountainous areas, the commission said, adding that the technology would greatly lower the costs of universal telecommunications services.
The Executive Yuan has released four additional frequency bands for use by geostationary and non-geostationary satellite communications service providers: 10.7 to 12.7 gigahertz (GHz), 13.75 to 14.5GHz, 17.7 to 20.2GHz and 27.5 to 30 GHz.
The 27.9 to 29.5GHz band is used by Chunghwa Telecom, Far EasTone Telecommunications, Asia Pacific Telecom and Taiwan Mobile for 5G.
Satellite service operators that plan to acquire bandwidth must reach agreements with the telecoms to avoid interference between the two systems, the commission said.
To be eligible, applicants must be telecoms registered in Taiwan and managed by Taiwanese, the commission said.
Direct shareholding by foreigners must not exceed 49 percent, while indirect shareholding by foreigners is limited to 60 percent, it said.
Operators can only launch services after their networks pass NCC scrutiny, it said.
Foreign operators can form partnerships with Taiwanese telecoms to file applications, it said.
Three overseas low-Earth orbit satellite operators were reported to have inquired about regulations in Taiwan: SpaceX, One Web and Telesat.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS