MIGRATION: The telecom expects about half of its subscribers to switch to 5G services by 2023 and is looking to enterprise clients to drive revenue growth

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 04, 2020
By: Lisa Wang / Staff reporter

Far EasTone Telecommunications Co (遠傳電信) yesterday said it plans to spend up to NT$30 billion (US$1.01 billion) on 5G network deployment over the next three years as it expects half of its mobile subscribers to migrate to 5G services by 2023.

That implies about 3.54 million subscribers switching to 5G, based on the company’s 7.08 million subscribers as of the end of February.

To meet its goal of achieving a 50 percent penetration rate for 5G, “an investment of NT$20 billion to NT$30 billion is inevitable in the first three years,” Far EasTone president Chee Ching (井琪) told a media briefing in Taipei, as the company formally started its 5G services yesterday.

Models demonstrate the speed difference between a 5G handset, left, and a 4G phone, right, at a Far EasTone Telecommunications Co news conference in Taipei yesterday. The company started its 5G services yesterday.

Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times

The investment does not include those allocated for private network deployment for enterprise clients, Ching said.    [FULL  STORY]