Asia Pacific Telecom (亞太電信), the nation’s No. 4 telecoms operator, expects to boost its customer base to 3 million by the end of next month on the back of the launch of new value-added services, a company executive said yesterday.
Its customer figures expanded about 550,000 to 2.88 million last year, maintaining its pace of growth over the previous three years of at least 500,000 new users per year, company data showed.
“The number of Asia Pacific customers will total 3 million by the end of April as a result of our new marketing strategy and services,” company chief executive officer Vincent Chih (遲煥國) told a press conference.
Asia Pacific yesterday announced a strategy focussing on increasing its number of smartphone users this year, with two newly launched service systems; its own mobile application store for the Android platform named “A+Mart” and a data value-added system called “A+Zone.”
MAJOR OPERATORS
These will allow Asia Pacific to officially fight for the data value-added service market with Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大) and Far EasTone Telecommunications Co Ltd (遠傳電信), the three major telecoms operators in Taiwan.
Asia Pacific said it expected its new services to help increase sales on non-voice services to 12 percent to 15 percent of total revenue, up from last year’s 10 percent, Chih said.
The telecoms operator also plans to spend up to NT$5 billion (US$169.9 million) on purchasing more smartphones this year, accounting for 20 percent to 25 percent of its full-year purchase of 1.2 million to 1.3 million handsets, to cater to rising demand from local users, Chih said.
Asia Pacific sold 1.1 million mobile phones last year, with smartphones accounting for only 11 percent, company data shows.
“The company will release not only middle-end and low-end products, but also some reasonably priced high-end smartphones to provide more choice for users,” company chief marketing officer Ted Tsai (蔡福原) said.
Asia Pacific also expects to release three to five tablet PCs this year, possibly cooperating with brands like Samsung Electronics Co and Coolpad, Tsai said.
HIGH-SPEED NETWORK
The telecoms operator is still looking to launch its high-speed EVDO network this year, which has been under review by the National Communications Commission since November, Chih said.
“A successful telecoms operator depends on the convergence of fixed-line, mobile and Internet networks. Launching EVDO could help Asia Pacific reduce costs and reach a higher level,” he said.
With the launch of its EVDO network set for the second half of this year and with continuing cooperation with China Telecom Ltd (中國電信), Asia Pacific expects its revenue to grow at least 12.5 percent this year.
Last year’s earnings of NT$1.08 per share are also expected to be exceeded, Chih said.
US SANCTIONS: The Taiwan tech giant has ended all shipments to China-based Sophgo Technologies after one of their chips was discovered in a Huawei phone Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) suspended shipments to China-based chip designer Sophgo Technologies Ltd (算能科技) after a chip it made was found on a Huawei Technologies Co (華為) artificial intelligence (AI) processor, according to two people familiar with the matter. Sophgo had ordered chips from TSMC that matched the one found on Huawei’s Ascend 910B, the people said. Huawei is restricted from buying the technology to protect US national security. Reuters could not determine how the chip ended up on the Huawei product. Sophgo said in a statement on its Web site yesterday that it was in compliance with all laws
SPEED OF LIGHT: US lawmakers urged the commerce department to examine the national security threats from China’s development of silicon photonics technology US President Joe Biden’s administration on Monday said it is finalizing rules that would limit US investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology sectors in China that could threaten US national security. The rules, which were proposed in June by the US Department of the Treasury, were directed by an executive order signed by Biden in August last year covering three key sectors: semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies and certain AI systems. The rules are to take effect on Jan. 2 next year and would be overseen by the Treasury’s newly created Office of Global Transactions. The Treasury said the “narrow
TECH TITANS: Nvidia briefly overtook Apple again on Friday after becoming the world’s largest company for a short period in June, as Microsoft fell to third place Nvidia Corp dethroned Apple Inc as the world’s most valuable company on Friday following a record-setting rally in the stock, powered by insatiable demand for its specialized artificial intelligence (AI) chips. Nvidia’s stock market value briefly touched US$3.53 trillion, slightly above Apple’s US$3.52 trillion, London Stock Exchange Group data showed. Nvidia ended the day up 0.8 percent, with a market value of US$3.47 trillion, while Apple’s shares rose 0.4 percent, valuing the iPhone maker at US$3.52 trillion. In June, Nvidia briefly became the world’s most valuable company before it was overtaken by Microsoft Corp and Apple. The tech trio’s market capitalizations have been
SPECIALIZIATION: OpenAI is designing a new type of semiconductor with Broadcom that would run artificial intelligence software and respond to user requests OpenAI is working with Broadcom Inc to develop a new artificial intelligence (AI) chip specifically focused on running AI models after they have been trained, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The AI start-up and chipmaker are also consulting with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest chip contract manufacturer, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. OpenAI has been planning a custom chip and working on such uses for the technology for about a year, but the discussions are still at an early stage, the sources said. OpenAI declined
RSS