Taiwan Star, Asia Pacific Telecom obtain 5G licenses

Taipei, July 29 (CNA) Another two domestic telecommunications companies -- Taiwan Star Telecom Corp. and Asia Pacific Telecom Co. -- have been issued 5G licenses, bringing the total number to five, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said Wednesday.

The licenses were issued after three bigger competitors -- Chunghwa Telecom Co., Far EasTone Telecommunications Co. and Taiwan Mobile Co. -- obtained their licenses in June and started 5G services earlier this month.

Following the NCC's announcement Wednesday, Taiwan Star said it plans to launch its 5G services on Aug. 4, while Asia Pacific Telecom said its services will begin by the end of the third quarter.

The five telecom operators acquired 5G spectrums in a tense auction that ended mid-January, putting up a total of NT$138.08 billion (US$4.68 billion) in one of the most expensive 5G license biddings in the world.

Taiwan Star, which paid NT$19.708 billion for 40 megahertz in the 3.5 GHz band in the auction, said it is building base stations in 455 business districts and other areas around Taiwan in preparation for the launch of its 5G services.

According to the NCC, Taiwan Star will have 1,000 base stations by the end of the year, mostly in the six largest cities in Taiwan.

The company said it also teaming up with another domestic company, Askey Computer Corp., to set up small cell stations to provide better services to consumers by boosting the indoor 5G signal.

For its part, Asia Pacific, which secured 400 megahertz at 28 GHz for NT$412 million, said it will launch a "5G Land" video/audio entertainment platform, taking advantage of virtual reality, augmented reality and streaming technologies as well as cloud-based gaming.

The company said it will work with international partners to provide content for its 5G platform and build a 5G ecosystem.

With 5G technology, Asia Pacific said, it will focus on smart manufacturing, smart energy, smart transportation, smart retail and smart medical care, providing comprehensive services to its customers.