Telecoms would be asked to brief the National Communications Commission (NCC) on the steps they would take to shut down 3G voice communications services ahead of schedule, the regulator said yesterday.
Although 3G licenses expired in 2018, telecoms have maintained the voice communication system as they migrated to the voice over long-term evolution (VoLTE) system.
The 3G system transmits voice and data services separately, while VoLTE technology can transmit both simultaneously.
Photo: Taipei Times
Since 2020, smartphones with specifications certified by the NCC have all been equipped with VoLTE, it said.
Shutting down the 3G system is the trend in the telecommunications industry and would help make spectrum use more efficient, lower costs, reduce energy use and cut carbon emissions, NCC Vice Chairman and spokesman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said.
“This was the first time that we tried to address the issue at the weekly commissioners’ meeting,” Wong said. “Commissioners were concerned with several aspects of the issue, from the penetration rates of VoLTE-equipped mobile phones to access to emergency communications by elderly people and those in remote areas.”
Although most people communicate via Line or other apps, the penetration rate of VoLTE-equipped phones is between 70 and 85 percent, he said.
“Telecoms have indicated they are planning to terminate 3G voice communication services, but we are concerned about access to the 110, 119 emergency services and other vital links for elderly people and those in remote area,” he said. “We would ask telecoms to brief us on how they would protect disadvantaged people, including incentives they would offer to switch to VoLTE-equipped mobile phones.”
There was also concern among officials that people with VoLTE-equipped phones would not receive warnings when they get possible scam calls, Wong said.
“Fortunately, Far EasTone Telecommunications [FET] has set up a similar mechanism for the VoLTE system. We hope that Chunghwa Telecom and Taiwan Mobile would follow suit,” he said.
Angus Yang (楊騰達), senior director of FET’s Network Technologies and Operations Department, said that people using its mobile communications services have been receiving the scam warning since October last year.
“We realized then that there might be a window when we shut down 3G voice communication services, so we made sure that VoLTE users can hear the warnings for scam calls,” Yang said.
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