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[September 09, 2010]

Research and Markets: Taiwan Telecommunications Report Q3 2010 - Taiwan's Mobile Network Operators Are Simultaneously Preparing For The Introduction Of So-Called 4G Mobile Services

DUBLIN --(Business Wire)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/22cefc/taiwan_telecommuni) has announced the addition of the "Taiwan Telecommunications Report Q3 2010" report to their offering.

Business Monitor International's Taiwan Telecommunications Report provides industry professionals and strategists, corporate analysts, telecommunication associations, government departments and regulatory bodies with independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on Taiwan's telecommunications industry.

Our latest update on Taiwan's telecommunications market incorporates new regulatory data for the end of 2009. It also contains Q1 2010 financial and operational data from the country's leading telecoms operators Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile (News - Alert) and FarEasTone.

We now calculate that Taiwan's mobile subscriber base grew by 6.7% in 2009. This was higher than our previous estimate. By the end of December, there were 27.26mn Taiwanese mobile customers, giving the country a penetration rate of 117.7%. In Q110, Taiwan's mobile customer base expanded by 1.1%, according to the latest operator data. BMIs figures for the total subscriber base are based on data published by the three main mobile operators and the telecoms regulatory authority, the National Communications Commission (NCC). Based on the latest data, we have adjusted our forecast for the development of the sector over the next five years. We have also altered our expectations for the number of 3G subscribers, following new figres that suggest that the sector grew over 40% in 2009. By the end of 2010, we now predict that nearly 70% of Taiwanese mobile customers will have 3G-enabled handsets. While Taiwan's mobile network operators continue to invest in the development and expansion of their 3G infrastructures, they are simultaneously preparing for the introduction of so-called 4G mobile services. Chunghwa Telecom revealed in August 2009 that it was planning to build an LTE (News - Alert) (4G) network in 2011. Then, in April 2010, it was announced that FarEasTone signed an MoU with China Mobile to jointly build 4G test networks in Taiwan based on the Chinese-developed TD-LTE standard.

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This quarter sees some significant changes to our internet user and broadband subscriber forecasts for Taiwan. Our new forecast is based on data published by the Taiwanese regulator. According to the NCC, Taiwan had an internet user penetration rate of 69.8% at the end of 2009, up from 65.8% at the start of the year. Meanwhile, the latest regulatory data suggest that there were 19.19mn broadband internet subscribers at the end of 2009, a figure that included mobile broadband subscribers. The inclusion of mobile broadband subscribers in the total figure means that Taiwan had a broadband subscriber penetration rate of almost 83% at the end of 2009. We now predict that, by the end of 2014, Taiwan will have almost 28.7mn broadband subscribers, equivalent to over 122% penetration. The high penetration rate reflects the phenomenon whereby an increasing number of broadband internet customers subscribe to both a fixed and mobile broadband service.

Taiwan continues to sit in seventh place in BMIs Business Environment Ratings for the Asia Pacific region. Although Taiwan scores below the regional average in the telecoms market category, its other scores are all above average. In the case of regulatory independence and country risk, Taiwan's scores are among the highest in the region.

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