Taiwan Star must continue to maintain its base stations and ensure that consumers’ rights are protected, even though it is soon to be merged with Taiwan Mobile, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.
Taiwan Star’s subscribers in Taipei, New Taipei City and Keelung did not have access to telecom services for several hours on Tuesday afternoon due to a power outage in the company’s telecommunications room in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖).
NCC Deputy Chairman and spokesman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) confirmed that the commission had received 106 complaints from Taiwan Star subscribers as of yesterday afternoon.
“The company’s telecom services were unavailable because of a disruption in the power supply from Taiwan Power Co in the area,” Wong said. “The power generator in the telecommunications room was activated immediately after the power supply stopped at 11:30am, which helped sustain operations in the telecommunications room for two more hours.”
The commission received the emergency report from Taiwan Star at about 1:49pm, which met with the relevant regulations, he said.
Even after Taipower resumed the supply of power, electricity in the telecommunications room remained unstable, which eventually burned out the switchboard, Wong said, adding that telecom services were not restored quickly, as the base stations remained powerless.
The base stations were not reactivated until 3:40pm, with some subscribers not getting services back again until 5pm to 6pm, Wong said.
Based on the telecom’s standard contract with subscribers, a subscriber can get a 5 percent discount on monthly fees if their telecom service is suspended for two to four hours. An 8 percent discount applies if the service is suspended for four to eight hours.
The company told the commission that it would compensate subscribers based on the terms of the standard contract, Wong said, adding that its control center should have information on how different subscribers were affected by the disruption of services.
“We have reminded the telecom that it has a social responsibility and must ensure that consumers’ interests are protected,” he said.
As Taiwan Mobile has applied to merge with Taiwan Star, but the plan has yet to be approved by the commission, Taiwan Star must continue to fulfill its contract with subscribers, Wong said.
“The company cannot neglect the maintenance of base stations or begin removing some of them because it will soon merge with Taiwan Mobile,” he said. “We have noticed that the company has begun to advertise the merger to consumers, even though it has yet to be approved. We will study if that is legal.”
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday hosted a reception to celebrate Double Ten National Day. Conservative Canadian lawmaker Marc Dalton called Taiwan a “beacon of courage and resilience in the face of rising authoritarianism,” according to a post on the Taiwan in Vancouver Facebook page. Also in attendance were fellow conservative caucus members Tako Van Popta and Chak Au, who said that Taiwan plays an “indispensable role” in ensuring global peace, prosperity and stability due to its strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region, it said. Canadian lawmaker Michael Cooper also recorded a message wishing Taiwan a
RSS