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.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
RSS