Traditional mobile phone calls declined by 75 percent from 2014 to 2023, as calls via instant messaging services became more popular among Taiwanese, a National Communications Commission (NCC) report said.
The Communications Market Report published by the NCC said that the percentage of people who use instant messaging apps to make calls climbed to 96 percent last year from 88.2 percent in 2017.
Line has been the most used online call service in Taiwan, with more than 90 percent of telecom users using the app since 2017, it said.
Photo: Fang Wei-chieh, Taipei Times
The percentage of Line users continued to grow and reached 99.5 percent last year, followed by Facebook Messenger and FaceTime, the report said.
Making voice calls was the most popular online activity among phone users in Taiwan aged 16 or older, accounting for 89.7 percent last year, up from 75.2 percent in 2023, it said.
The next-most popular online activity was to “download photos, films, videos or music, or play or download games,” which made up 55.3 percent last year, up from 44.7 percent in 2023, the report said.
Last year, the average person spent 6.72 hours per week on online voice calls, much more than the 1.48 hours per week spent on traditional mobile phone calls, it said.
Time spent on traditional mobile phone calls decreased to 7.7 billion minutes in 2023, down by 75 percent from 31.7 billion minutes in 2014, it said.
Online calls have largely replaced traditional mobile phone calls, it said.
An office worker surnamed Chou (周) said that voice calls are more useful than text messages.
She prefers to contact loved ones via online voice call services and would call via mobile phone only when someone is an acquaintance or a stranger, or not reachable via Internet, she said.
Another person, surnamed Liao (廖), said she prefers not to make voice calls and uses instant messaging apps almost as frequently as traditional mobile phone calls to make voice calls.
NCC Secretary-General Huang Wen-che (黃文哲) on Sunday said that online call services have many advantages, including being free of charge, providing unrestricted talk time regardless of where someone is and a call quality almost equivalent to traditional mobile phone calls.
Most communications software also provides instant messaging or data transmission services, he said, adding that Taiwanese have become accustomed to such communications services, which is also a global trend.
However, online service users must be aware of risks of personal data breaches and scams, he said.
The NCC would continue to observe telecoms’ market share and calling rates, and impose regulation when needed to ensure high-quality, safe and reliable services, he said.
Meanwhile, a telecom official on condition of anonymity said that its revenue was not affected by the shift to online calls, as it has been monitoring clients’ data usage and continued to provide products in line with clients’ needs.
It also provides innovative services, such as using artificial intelligence to handle reservation calls and forwarding landline calls to mobile phones, they said.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
RSS