Strait-Telecom Co (海峽電信) has been listed by Chunghwa Telecom as a high-risk corporate customer and the two should terminate service contracts if necessary, the National Communications Commission said yesterday.
The mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) on Wednesday was fined NT$300,000 (US$9,604) by the regulator for failing to thoroughly authenticate the identities of service subscribers and consequently allowing scammers to use its mobile phone numbers to commit crimes.
As an MVNO, Strait-Telecom does not own a mobile spectrum license, but uses the Chunghwa Telecom network to offer mobile services under its brand name.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Chunghwa Telecom’s contract with the MVNO stipulates that it allocate 300,000 mobile telephone numbers for Strait-Telecom to use. Of the 120,000 that have been transferred to Strait-Telecom, nearly 1,000 were used by scammers.
The commission launched an investigation into Strait-Telecom’s operations after receiving a tip-off from the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office on June 1.
Local news media criticized the commission for handing a relatively lenient fine to Strait-Telecom, as Taiwan Star Telecom Co on Wednesday was fined NT$1 million after just two of its mobile numbers were exploited by scammers.
The commission said in a statement that it has ordered Chunghwa Telecom to suspend the transfer of the remaining 180,000 mobile phone numbers to Strait-Telecom.
“We have also inspected Strait-Telecom and examined whether it had thoroughly followed the ‘know your customer’ requirements as stated in telecom regulations. Chunghwa Telecom should suspend or terminate the communications of any mobile phone number that is involved in scams,” the commission said, adding that prosecutors are still investigating crimes committed using the numbers.
Taiwan Star is subject to regulation by the Telecommunication Management Act (電信管理法), while the Telecommunications Act (電信法) applies to the case involving Strait-Telecom, the commission said.
Comparing the penalties in these two cases would be meaningless as they are different in terms of severity, applicable laws, as well the fines that can be imposed, the commission said.
“Straits-Telecom was passive in accepting an administrative inspection and failed to provide remedial measures in accordance with the regulations. We have aggravated the sanction and strengthened supervision with some administrative means, but the relevant sanction must still be administered according to the law,” it said.
The commission said that Strait-Telecom’s license expired in May and it is no longer a telecom.
“However, in view of the serious offense, we have asked Chunghwa Telecom to list the company as a high-risk customer and strengthen the audit, random testing and risk control of similar clients,” it said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
THE GOOD WORD: More than 100 colleges on both sides of the Pacific will work together to bring students to Taiwan so they can learn Mandarin where it is spoken A total of 102 universities from Taiwan and the US are collaborating in a push to promote Taiwan as the first-choice place to learn Mandarin, with seven Mandarin learning centers stood up in the US to train and support teachers, the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) said. At the annual convention of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages held over the weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana, a Taiwan Pavilion was jointly run by 17 representative teams from the FICHET, the Overseas Community Affairs Council, the Steering Committee for the Test of Proficiency-Huayu, the
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
MORE RETALIATION: China would adopt a long-term pressure strategy to prevent other countries or future prime ministers following in Sanae Takaichi’s steps, an academic said Taiwan should maintain communications with Japan, as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is to lead a revision of security documents, Taiwanese academics said yesterday. Tensions have risen between Japan and China over remarks by Takaichi earlier this month that the use of force against Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. Prospect Foundation president Lai I-chung (賴怡忠) yesterday said Takaichi’s stance regarding Taiwan is the same as past Japanese prime ministers, but her position is clearer than that of her predecessors Fumio Kishida and Shigeru Ishiba. Although Japan views a “Taiwan contingency” as a “survival-threatening situation,” which would allow its military to
RSS