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.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
The Taipei District Court today ruled to extend the incommunicado detention of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) for two more months as part of an ongoing corruption trial. Codefendants in the case — real-estate tycoon Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) and Ko's former mayoral office head Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗) — were granted bail of NT$100 million (US$3.4 million) and NT$20 million respectively. Sheen and Lee would also be barred from leaving the country for eight months and prohibited from contact with, harassing, threatening or inquiring after the case with codefendants or witnesses. The two would also be