The survey, conducted between Dec. 17 and Dec. 28, showed that 57.6 percent of the 1,501 people polled were not happy with Internet access speeds using 3G, 3.5G or 4G WiMAX networks, the association said. That figure showed little improvement from the 59.3 percent who said they were dissatisfied with the service in the association’s previous survey released in August.

Asked whether carriers should cancel their “unlimited Internet access” pricing plans — which telecoms service providers claim are a major cause of the Internet traffic jams — 62.7 percent of respondents said they were against the idea, while 34.2 percent agreed, the survey showed.

As of last month, “unlimited Internet access” plans accounted for 80.5 percent of all mobile Internet subscriptions, while “pay as you go” plans held 17.8 percent of the market, the association said.

As for the government’s plan to release 4G wireless licenses this year, 82.9 percent of respondents said they were not familiar with the concept of “4G mobile networks,” the association said.

Though 4G mobile networks can enhance mobile device users’ data access speed and Web surfing experience with more mobile broadband slots, 70 percent of respondents said they did not foresee demand for the service, while 25.1 percent said they did, the survey showed.

Other than mobile Internet services, 34.4 percent of respondents said they use asymmetric digital subscriber lines (ADSL) to access the Internet, and 24.1 percent said they rely on fiber-optics to connect to the Web.

While 73.3 percent of fixed-line network service users said they were satisfied with broadband speed, 22.7 percent were not. That compares with a satisfaction rate of 68.8 percent in the August report and a dissatisfaction rate of 24.7 percent.

Asked about local terrestrial TV channels’ switch from analog to digital broadcasting in July last year, 52.1 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the service, while 30.2 percent said they were not.

The figures represented declines of 4.4 percentage points and 4.7 percentage points from 34.8 percent and 56.5 percent respectively in the August report.

The survey also found that 55.7 percent of TV subscribers were unhappy with cable service fees, versus 37.7 percent who said the fees were acceptable.

However, 81.7 percent of rspondents said they were unaware of the government’s “digital convergence policy,” and more than 90 percent said they did not know what “digital convergence” means, the poll showed.

The term refers to the convergence of information technologies, telecommunications, consumer electronics and entertainment, the association said.

Meanwhile, 54.1 percent of respondents said they were disappointed with the National Communications Commission’s performance, 21.5 percent said they were satisfied and 24.4 percent had no comment.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2013/01/17/2003552682

News from the Taipei Times

Six years later, O’Brien’s company, Digicel, is the largest private investor in Haiti and has 4.8 million users, about half of the population. It is a rare beacon of entrepreneurship in a country still struggling to rebuild after the 2010 earthquake.

O’Brien’s ambitious plans for Digicel are part of his bullish vision for Haiti, which stands in sharp contrast to the usually gloomy forecasts for a nation crippled by perpetual political turmoil and natural disasters.

Promotion of homegrown entrepreneurship is rare in Haiti, where the government and banks have done little to stimulate investment and a small business elite has profited from import monopolies that stifle local production.

On a typically whirlwind visit shortly before Christmas, O’Brien, 54, flew into Haiti from New York on his corporate jet for a monthly Digicel board meeting. He then hosted a gala celebrating Digicel’s ‘Entrepreneur of the Year,’ a televised event he imported from Ireland to inspire small businesses.

Close to 2m tall with white hair and ruddy cheeks, O’Brien is easy to spot among the crowd of mostly local business people and dignitaries, including Haitian President Michel Martelly.

“Haiti needs more people like you,” Martelly said. “If it wasn’t for Denis, we’d all be sitting here alone.”

The Digicel Group is a privately-held company founded by O’Brien in 2001 and headquartered in Jamaica, with 13 million customers in 31 emerging markets, mostly in the Caribbean and Pacific regions.

O’Brien holds 94 percent of Digicel’s shares and made Forbes magazine’s billionaires list last year at No. 205 with a net worth of US$5 billion. He models himself on Sudanese-born British billionaire Mo Ibrahim, the founder of Africa-wide cellphone network Celtel, and India-based Sunil Mittal, the founder of Bharti Airtel.

Ibrahim sold Celtel in 2005 for US$3.4 billion and now runs the Mo Ibrahim Foundation to encourage better governance in Africa, while Mittal also runs his own foundation.

“They proved the concept that you can have people with very little disposable income in real terms, but who want a phone and they’ll pay you for it and you can afford to build up quite a large network,” O’Brien told reporters.

Digicel is now looking to enter Myanmar, a country of about 60 million people that has one of the lowest mobile penetration rates in the world. Only 3 percent of Myanmar’s population owned a phone in 2011, World Bank data show.

Digicel says it had revenue of about US$2.5 billion in the year ending on March last year, with Haiti leading the way by generating US$439 million.

Digicel’s 2006 launch in Haiti was a rare example of foreign investment in a country more used to depending on foreign aid.

Two existing cellphone companies which offered spotty, more expensive services were quickly overtaken as Digicel invested in a national infrastructure and offered handsets for as little as US$7 with low rates for its mostly pre-paid customer base.

“Denis revolutionized the communications sector. Before, cellphones were a luxury and now they are a must,” Haitian Minister of Tourism Stephanie Villedrouin said.

O’Brien’s investments in Haiti go far beyond telephony.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2013/01/20/2003552936

News from the Taipei Times

The government announced last year that it would release a total of 270MHz of radio frequencies in the spectrum of 700MHz, 900MHz and 1,800MHz for 4G service use.

The commission drafted regulations governing the issuance of the licenses and held a public hearing in November last year.

The commission has made some changes to the draft regulations after hearing opinions from telecoms operators, reducing the minimum units needed to launch mobile broadband services from 15MHz to 10MHz, both to upload and download speeds, spokesperson Yu Hsiao-cheng (虞孝成) said.

If there are five or more qualified bidders, the total frequencies each bidder can obtain will be capped at 35MHz, Yu said, adding that the cap would be raised to 40MHz if there were only four qualified bidders.

For three or fewer bidders, the frequencies each can obtain is capped at 45MHz, he added.

Those interested in obtaining a license must have at least NT$6 billion (US$207.1 million) in capital and be able to afford a bid bond of NT$1 billion. They will also have to pass a qualification review before they can attend the bidding, Yu said.

The commission will use a simultaneous, multiple-round and ascending bid auction system, Yu said. Each bidder will be able to quote the price for each round onve, with the quoted price being a multiple of NT$5 million.

A quote would be considered ineffective if the bidder violates the bidding requirementd.

A bidder would be disqualified if it does not quote the price or places an ineffective bid during the first round.

A bidder would be banned from quoting prices if it gives up the right to do so more than three times in the second and following rounds.

Telecoms carriers must meet several requirements before they are permitted to sell or trade the frequencies they obtain, Yu said.

“Our concern was that some would simply bid for frequencies and then sell them for a higher price without first building the infrastructure needed to provide services,” Yu said.

Therefore bidders will be required to build at least 250 base stations as well as other relevant infrastructure before they can sell their frequencies, he said. Carriers must also obtain approval for the transaction and the certification of the network infrastructure from the commission before a deal could take effect.

Tsai Kuo-tung (蔡國棟), a specialist with the commission’s competitive policy division, said there are still carriers offering the global system for mobile communication (GSM) service in the frequencies up for bid. Some may not obtain the frequency they thought they owned through the bidding process, Tsai said.

The commission only allows GSM service carriers to trade the frequencies, Tsai said, adding they are not required to build facilities first.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/01/24/2003553313

News from the Taipei Times

Already becoming somewhat commonplace in developed nations like Japan and Singapore, mobile credit payment services are finally making their way to Taiwan. On Jan. 15, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) passed regulations concerning the safety and management of mobile credit cards, a service that financial institutions in Taiwan will soon be offering. In the future, you will be able to use credit cards stored on your cellphone to make purchases at various shops, and the purchase amount will not be restricted to the current amount of NT$3,000.

Jean Chiu, a deputy director-general of the commission’s banking bureau, says that five banks, including Chinatrust Commercial Bank, Union Bank of Taiwan, Taishin International Bank, Taipei Fubon International Bank and Cathay United Bank, already offer mobile credit cards, but not for purchases exceeding NT$3,000.

How exactly are mobile credit cards used? Chiu says that in the future people will need to apply for mobile credit cards at their local bank or financial institution, not with telecom operators, which will then provide something similar to a SIM card or SD card. After downloading the necessary app, you will be able to make purchases at stores simply by swiping your phone across a scanner. To ensure safety, however, consumers must enter a password every time they activate the credit card function.

Steven Lin, director of the E-Commerce Business Center’s marketing and sales department at Kainan University, says that smartphones using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology are capable of storing all of your credit cards.

Aside from issuing physical credit cards, banks will also be offering consumers the option of applying for virtual cards, which after authentication, all a person needs to do is run an app on their phone to make a transaction. In order to use mobile credit cards, SIM cards equipped with the single wire protocol (SWP) specifications must be inserted into your NFC-enabled smartphone, while non-NFC cellphones can use SD cards with safety features and NFC technology stored on them.

Lin also says that if the cellphone with more than one credit card or other cards stored on it is lost or stolen, all one has to do is contact the Trusted Service Management Center to report the lost phone, and service to the phone will be deactivated. Reactivating the phone is also just as convenient, just a single phone call away.

(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2013/01/26/2003553430

News from the Taipei Times

The center was commissioned by the government to test the speed of mobile Internet services amid rising complaints from consumers about the slow speed of their Web connections, both in fixed network and mobile Internet service.

It announced the results of its first stage of testing last year, which was carried out between May and July.

The center did a second stage of testing between August and November last year in which it measured mobile Internet speed both from a fixed location and while moving.

Results showed that the average download speed reported by consumers had risen from 1.98 megabit per second (Mbps) in stage one of testing, to 2.52Mbps in stage two. While consumers polled in the first round of the survey said that it took them an average of 2.56 seconds to open a Facebook and YouTube page, the time dropped to 2.48 seconds in the second stage.

The center’s tests also showed that the average speed of mobile Internet downloads from a fixed location rose from 1.71Mbps to 2.07Mbps in the second period of testing. The average download speed reported when the user was in transit, for example when on the MRT, also increased from 1.23Mbps to 1.48Mbps in between testing stages.

TTC researchers also tested mobile Internet service speeds in residential areas, shopping malls, roads and public areas. Using laptops equipped with network interface controller cards, they found that the average download service reached 2.07Mbps.

The service speed in public places, residential areas and shopping malls ranges from 2.08Mbps to 2.23 Mbps.

The results showed that telecoms carriers have installed more base stations in densely populated areas and those with higher demand for mobile Web use to fortify wireless signals, the center said.

Further analyses on data collected during the second stage of testing found that approximately 52 percent of consumers polled reported a download speed of between 2Mbps and 5Mbps.

About 20 percent said that they had experienced a download speed below 1Mbps and 8.59 percent reported download speed below 500 kilobits per second (kbps).

By contrast, the Web users surveyed reported a drastic decline in the quality of their Internet service when they went online while in transit. About 52 percent reported a download speed of less than 1Mbps and about 32 percent said they experienced a download speed below 500kbps. Only 37.72 percent reported download speeds of between 1Mbps and 3Mbps.

The center also found that consumers experienced smoother mobile Internet connectivity between 1am and 10am, with the average download speed reaching 2.55Mbps. The fastest connection was found at 5am, with the speed going up to 2.97Mbps.

The connection speed ranges from 2.33Mbps to 2.49Mbps between 10am and 8pm, with consumers saying they experienced a slower connection between 8pm and 1am. The slowest Internet connection was reported at 10pm, with the speed dipping to 2.27Mbps.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/01/29/2003553719

News from the Taipei Times

In a survey conducted between Dec. 17 and Dec. 28, about 36 percent of 322 companies registered to participate in this year’s Computex expo said they were optimistic that the economy would improve this quarter, while 35 percent expressed pessimism.

Companies that produce computer systems and data storage devices have the highest confidence in the economy, the survey showed.

Vendors of communication products, peripherals and components appeared less optimistic about the economy, as they are affected by economic conditions in European countries, according to the report.

Separately, the TCA surveyed foreign buyers coming to attend this year’s Computex expo and found that a majority of European buyers were still pessimistic about the global economy because their home countries’ economic conditions remained fragile, while buyers from South American and African countries reported being highly optimistic about this quarter’s economy.

Among the polled foreign buyers, medium and large-sized enterprises said they were optimistic that the global economy would recover at a faster pace than that predicted by small-sized firms.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2013/01/23/2003553183

News from the Taipei Times

Both CNBC and the Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft Corp may invest some of the money needed to take Dell Inc private after 25 years as a publicly traded company. Tuesday’s stories cited unidentified people familiar with the negotiations.

If Microsoft joins in a Dell buyout, CNBC and the Journal say the software maker would contribute US$1 billion to US$3 billion. That amount would make Microsoft a minority investor in a complex deal expected to cost US$23 billion to IS$27 billion if it’s completed.

Microsoft declined to comment on the reports.

Word that Dell is interested in selling to a group led by buyout firm Silver Lake Partners first surfaced last week. Dell’s stock price has climbed about 20 percent since then. The stock rose US$0.33, or 2.6 percent, to US$13.17 in Tuesday’s early afternoon.

Dell, which is based in Round Rock, Texas, hasn’t said whether it’s interested in selling. Going private, though, would enable the company to overhaul its operations without having to meet Wall Street’s demands for higher quarterly earnings.

Dell, the second-largest US computer supplier behind Hewlett-Packard Co, is one of Microsoft’s biggest partners.

Among other things, Microsoft licenses its Windows operating system to Dell’s PC makers.

By becoming a part-owner in Dell, Microsoft would risk being viewed by HP and other PC makers as more of a rival than a partner. Microsoft already has rankled some of its PC makers by releasing a tablet computer called Surface that competes against their products.

So far, though, there has been little evidence indicating that the Surface is reshaping the market for computing devices.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2013/01/24/2003553269

News from the Taipei Times

The survey by the Cabinet’s Research, Development and Evaluation Commission showed that 62.7 percent of netizens engage in online shopping, while 16.7 percent sell products via the Internet.

According to the poll, 74.5 percent regularly use the Internet to access production information and make price comparisons.

Online shoppers make 12 purchases a year on average, with the average amount spent online last year rising to NT$16,586 per person from NT$13,864 in 2010, the poll found.

The heaviest use of online banking services was found in Leinchiang County, Taipei and Hsinchu County.

Internet users in Hualien, Taitung County, Kinmen County and Leinchiang County are the most frequent online shoppers, the poll showed.

The poll found that last year, the number of Internet users in Taiwan who own notebook computers rose to 53.4 percent from 39.7 percent in 2010, and the number of smartphone owners increased from 23.4 percent to 50.7 percent.

Most smartphone owners are aged 20 to 39, while most tablet computer owners are in the over-30 age bracket, the poll showed.

On average, Internet users in Taipei spend 213 minutes per day surfing the Internet, higher than in the rest of the country, according to the survey.

The highest level of computer ownership is in Taoyuan County, where 92.9 percent of households have computers, followed by Hsinchu City with 92.7 percent and New Taipei City (新北市) with 92.1 percent, the poll showed.

At the bottom of the list are Chiayi, Yunlin and Penghu counties, which have a household computer ownership rate of about 80 percent.

The poll, conducted from July 26 to Aug. 30 last year, surveyed more than 13,257 people and has a margin of error of 0.8 percentage points.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/01/27/2003553560

News from the Taipei Times

Li Yue will participate in the Jan. 17 summit held by China Mobile and Taiwan’s state-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).

During his stay in Taiwan, Li will call on Taiwan’s technology tycoons. Analysts said it’s a sign that cross-Taiwan Strait collaboration in communications technology may advance to the 4G field and that it is expected to bring new business opportunities for local companies.

Among the local tech heavyweights Li will call on are Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Chairman Morris Chang, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Chairman Terry Guo, HTC Corp. Chairwoman Cher Wang and MediaTek Inc. Chairman Tsai Ming-kai.

At the summit, Li is scheduled to give a talk on cross-strait cooperation on mobile broadband services on the Time Division Duplex (TDD) spectrum.

LTE TDD (Long-Term Evolution Time Division Duplex) technology, also known as Time Division Long-Term Evolution (TD-LTE) in China, is a 4G mobile-telecommunications technology developed by companies including China Mobile, Nokia Siemens Networks and Qualcomm.

TD-LTE is one of two LTE variants. Mobile operators in countries including the U.S. use the other variant — LTE FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) — to offer their 4G services.

Top executives who will participate in the conference include those who are in integrated circuit businesses, Internet and communications operators, test and certification suppliers, and local major telecom operator Far EasTone Telecommunications Co. as well as Chinese ICT solutions provider Huawei Technologies Co.

With the exponential growth of the Internet, telecom carriers worldwide have been launching commercial 4G networks, according to the ITRI.

As of October 2012, there have been 12 TD-LTE commercial networks worldwide and the number of TD-LTE base stations worldwide is expected to reach 500,000 by 2014, covering two billion people, the ITRI said.

Market analysts said China Mobile might use this conference as an opportunity to work with Taiwanese companies in developing the TD-LTE technology.

http://focustaiwan.tw/SearchNews/hyDetailws.aspx?qid=201301140035&q=telecom

News from the Focus Taiwan

Taipei, Jan. 15 (CNA) Far EasTone Telecommunications Co., the third-largest telecom operator in Taiwan, said Tuesday it is seeking to team up with NHN Japan Corp. to insert advertisements into the Japanese firm’s fast-growing mobile chat application Line.

Far EasTone President Yvonne Li said her company has been in talks with NHN Japan since last year to discuss feasible business models, such as embedding value-added mobile services into Line’s social networking platform.

“It is believed that mobile advertisement is likely to become one of the major sources of carriers’ revenue in the next stage,” she said on the sidelines of a product launch event in Taipei for Samsung Electronics Co.’s new Galaxy Premier smartphone.

“We have talked about various possibilities with them (NHN Japan), but it needs more time for such a business negotiation,” Li said.

Asked about her company’s targets for 2013, Li said she expects Far EasTone to double the number of users of its value-added mobile services from last year, including its app store, electronic bookstore, online music, and streaming movies.

The company is also expected to see an increase of data service revenue, from 37 percent of its total revenue last year over 40 percent this year, Li said.

The Line app, which allows its users to enjoy free calls and send manga-themed emoticons to one another, reached the 50 million user mark in just 399 days.

It took Twitter 1,096 days and Facebook 1,325 days to attain that milestone.

Since its launch in June 2011, Line has gained 83 million users in 230 countries, and the number is estimated to exceed 100 million this month, according to NHN Corp., the parent company of NHN Japan.

Kang Hyun-bin, head of the Line business office in South Korea, told CNA on Jan. 8 that the app now has more than 10 million users in Taiwan. NHN might open a branch office in Taiwan to seek more business opportunities, Kang said.

NHN Japan partnered last year with Taiwanese mobile provider Vibo Telecom Inc. and the Taiwan FamilyMart Co. convenience store chain on promotion, which included a television commercial.

http://focustaiwan.tw/SearchNews/hyDetailws.aspx?qid=201301150028&q=telecom

News from the Focus Taiwan