Telephone Service

Telephone

Taiwan has a comprehensive telephone and communications network that covers the entire main island and outlying islands. Since the majority of Taiwan's long distance networks were digitized, the quality of telecom services has greatly improved, and charges for international and domestic calls have been adjusted to internationally competitive levels. According to statistics from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Taiwan ranked number 5 globally for number of fixed-line subscribers. Liberalization measures for mobile and satellite communications, internal corporate voice services, and most recently, fixed line networking and circuit leasing have enabled even better communications services.

Fixed-line Communications

Major fixed-line providers include Chunghwa Telecom, a state-owned enterprise currently undergoing privatization, Eastern Broadband Telecom, Sparq, and Taiwan Fixed Network Telecom. As the progress of 'last-mile' infrastructure in Taiwan has been slow, competition for international long-distance services is intense among fixed-line providers, who are focusing on the development of business subscribers. The providers also face new competition with the development of international simple resale (ISR) services.

Mobile Communications

The mobile phone industry has seen a number of changes since liberalization measures opened the market, allowing private operators to compete with Chunghwa Telecom. At the initial stages, the mobile phone services market started with eight providers, and currently has three large providers and one small provider. At the end of June 2003, Taiwan had the world's highest user density of mobile phones, with 113.3 units per 100 persons.

 

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