The National Communications Commission (NCC) is to set up a special task force to monitor the situation when two telecom mergers take effect next month, it said yesterday.
Taiwan Star is to merge with Taiwan Mobile on Friday next week, while Asia Pacific Telecom (APT) is to merge with Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) on Dec. 15. Taiwan Star and APT, which have 2.48 million and 1.99 million subscribers respectively, would cease to exist after the mergers.
Taiwan Star subscribers would not need to change their SIM cards for now unless they want to subscribe to other value-added services offered by Taiwan Mobile, NCC Vice Chairman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said.
Photo: Taipei Times file
APT subscribers would have to change their SIM cards after the merger, as the telecom uses the core network built by Nokia and FET uses Ericsson’s, Wong said, adding that FET should notify APT subscribers of the need to change their SIM cards.
“The synergy produced through telecom mergers should help enhance the quality of telecom services available to customers,” Wong said. “We hope that subscribers of the two new telecom companies would notice significant differences in terms of Internet speed and telecom service coverage before the end of January, otherwise [the telecoms] will be at the receiving end of subscribers’ fury.”
The task force would monitor whether Taiwan Mobile and FET offer reasonable monthly plans and follow their own time lines for changing subscribers’ SIM cards, or whether the mergers lead to any telecom service disruptions, Wong said.
Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile and FET were in 2018 fined by the NCC for the chaos that broke out at their retail stores after they collectively offered a telecom service plan for NT$499 per month. The commission received numerous complaints about people having to wait hours to apply for the service plan.
Asked whether the commission is concerned about further chaos when subscribers collect new SIM cards at the telecoms’ stores, Wong said that the scenario is unlikely to happen.
“Given what happened in 2018, the telecoms should know by now that they need to offer subscribers multiple ways to change their SIM cards, instead of only allowing them to do so at retail stores. They need to find ways for people who have trouble leaving the house, live in remote areas or simply do not have time to change SIM cards,” Wong said.
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united
RSS