The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday passed a draft act that it said would encourage the corporate sector to invest in and adopt innovative use of 5G networks.
The draft establishment and management of telecommunications networks for mobile broadband act is to be forwarded to the Executive Yuan for final review and ratification.
The draft act includes measures for corporations to apply for network eligibility, network installation, channel management and frequency usage certificates, NCC Deputy Chairman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said.
It is in line with the Executive Yuan’s policy of allowing 5G vertical applications on the designated 4.8 to 4.9 gigahertz frequencies, also known as the n79 band, Wong said.
Telecoms and other businesses are eligible to apply for a standalone network on the 5G network spectrum, the commission said.
The commission said it is issuing a 10-year frequency license to all approved applicants based on the overhead costs of setting up unique 5G networks, core network components and spectrum licensing costs.
To date, there have been 42 proof of concept cases for 5G networks in Taiwan, with 28 of them falling in the n79 band, and 14 outside, the commission said.
Networks established in the n79 band are mostly for the applied use of smart medicine or used in the smart industry or smart entertainment sectors, it said.
The benefit of sectors such as smart medicine having standalone networks is that people in more rural areas would also have access to smart medicine, which would cut down on travel time for patients, potentially saving lives.
Applicants would shoulder the basic administrative fees, a sum for the right to use the standalone network, which would be calculated on a per megahertz rate, the type of facility the network is used for, the size of the facility, what the network is to be used for and a yearly premium adjustment, the commission said.
In short, fees would differ from user to user, based on the number of base stations or their equipment on the terminal end, it said.
The commission said the draft act is being previewed for the requisite 60 days, during which time it would be holding public hearings to promote public awareness of the draft act and soliciting public opinions.
It said it is laying the legal groundwork for 5G network affairs and would be transferring relevant information to the ministry of digital development when it is established and operational.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
Chinese embassy staffers attempted to interrupt an award ceremony of an international tea competition in France when the organizer introduced Taiwan and displayed the Republic of China flag, a Taiwanese tea farmer said in an interview published today. Hsieh Chung-lin (謝忠霖), chief executive of Juxin Tea Factory from Taichung's Lishan (梨山) area, on Dec. 2 attended the Teas of the World International Contest held at the Peruvian embassy in Paris. Hsieh was awarded a special prize for his Huagang Snow Source Tea by the nonprofit Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA). During the ceremony, two Chinese embassy staffers in attendance
RSS