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.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
RSS