Telecommunications in Taiwan

Last updated

Telecommunications in Taiwan comprise the following communication media, deployed in the Taiwan Area of the Republic of China and regulated by the National Communications Commission of the Executive Yuan.

Contents

Since the mid-1970s there has been an accelerating shift from traditional personal services (small shops and restaurants) to modern personal services (department stores and hotels) and modern commercial services (finance and communications).

Domestic television has long carried many foreign programs, and liberalization of import restrictions in the 1980s brought more.

There are about 30 daily newspapers and thousands of periodicals, many of the latter house organs of various political and non-political organizations. The government sets general guidelines for the political and cultural content of newspapers and periodicals. There are three television stations and about 30 radio broadcasting companies with more than 180 stations.

Telephony

Public telephone in Taiwan TFN TYW-251 at THSR Taipei Station 20151024.jpg
Public telephone in Taiwan

Telephones - main lines in use: 16.433 million (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 27.84 million (2009)

Telephone system:
general assessment: provides telecommunication service for every business and private need
domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); submarine cables to Japan (Okinawa), Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe (1999)

The Directorate General of Telecommunications held a monopoly over phone usage until the July 1996 passage of the Telecommunications Act, when the government began permitting private companies to enter the market. When restrictions were relaxed in 1997, seven percent of people had cell phones. By 2000, the rate of coverage increased to 75 percent. Telecommunications companies that began offering services shortly after the Telecommunications Act went into effect included: Far EasTone, Mobitai  [ zh ], TransAsia Telecommunications  [ zh ], Chunghwa Telecom, KG Telecommunications  [ zh ], Tung Jung Telecom and Taiwan Mobile. Tung Jung merged into KG in December 1998, then was bought out by Far EasTone in 2010. Taiwan Mobile acquired Mobitai in 2004, and TransAsia in 2008. [1]

Radio

Radio broadcast stations: AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999)

Radios: 16 million (1994)

Television

Television broadcast stations: 29 (plus two repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 8.8 million (1998)

Broadcast media: 5 nationwide television networks operating roughly 75 TV stations; about 85% of households utilize multi-channel cable TV; national and regional radio networks with about 170 radio stations (2008)

Internet

See for more: Country code (Top level domain)TW.
staticalyears
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):15(1999)
Internet hosts:6.166 million(2010)
Internet users:16.147 million(2009)

Broadband internet access

See for rankings: List of countries by number of broadband Internet subscriptions

The number of broadband subscribers in Taiwan surpassed 4.5 million by the end of March 2007. [2] This number is approximately 20% of the total population.

Internet censorship

There are no government restrictions on access to the Internet or credible reports that the authorities surveil the e-mail or telecommunication chat rooms without appropriate legal authority.

The constitution and law provide for freedom of speech and press, and the government respects these rights in practice. An independent press, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system combine to protect freedom of speech and press. Individual groups engage in the peaceful expression on views via the Internet, including via the e-mail.

In accordance to a survey conducted by Taiwan's Institute for Information Industry, an NGO, 81.8% of households had Internet access at the end of 2011. [3]

The websites of PRC institutions such as the Chinese Communist Party, People's Daily , and China Central Television can be freely accessed from Taiwan.

However, in April 2019, Mainland Affairs Council deputy minister Chiu Chui-cheng stated that the country was planning to restrict the Chinese video services iQiyi and Tencent Video in the lead-up to the 2020 Taiwan presidential election, fearing that the services could be used to create "cultural and political influences" by the mainland and impact the vote (such as by disseminating pro-mainland propaganda). [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

Telecommunications in Burkina Faso include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telecommunications in Cambodia</span>

Telecommunications in Cambodia include telephone, radio, television, and Internet services, which are regulated by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. Transport and posts were restored throughout most of the country in the early 1980s during the People's Republic of Kampuchea regime after being disrupted under Democratic Kampuchea.

Telecommunications in the Dominican Republic include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telecommunications in Ghana</span> Telecommunication in Ghana

Telecommunications in Ghana include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

Communications in Hong Kong includes a wide-ranging and sophisticated network of radio, television, telephone, Internet, and related online services, reflecting Hong Kong's thriving commerce and international importance.

Telecommunications in Namibia include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

The People's Republic of China possesses a diversified communications system that links all parts of the country by Internet, telephone, telegraph, radio, and television. The country is served by an extensive system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available, expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to foreign countries. Fiber to the x infrastructure has been expanded rapidly in recent years.

Telecommunications in Peru include radio and television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

In South Korea, telecommunications services improved dramatically in the 1980s with the assistance of foreign partners and as a result of the development of the electronics industry. The number of telephones in use in 1987 reached 9.2 million, a considerable increase from 1980, when there were 2.8 million subscribers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telecommunications in Singapore</span> Description of telecommunications in Singapore

The telecommunication infrastructure of Singapore spans the entire city-state. Its development level is high, with close accessibility to the infrastructure from nearly all inhabited parts of the island and for all of the population, with exceptions. Today, the country is considered an international telecommunications hub, an achievement that was driven by Singapore's view that high-quality telecommunications is one of the critical factors that support its economic growth.

Telecommunications in Tanzania include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet available in mainland Tanzania and the semiautonomous Zanzibar archipelago.

Telecommunications in Albania include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telecommunications in Armenia</span>

Telecommunications in Armenia involves the availability and use of electronic devices and services, such as the telephone, television, radio or computer, for the purpose of communication. The various telecommunications systems found and used in Armenia includes radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the internet.

The liberalization of Bangladesh's telecommunications sector began with small steps in 1989 with the issuance of a license to a private operator for the provision of inter alia cellular mobile services to compete with Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB), the previous monopoly provider of telecommunications services within Bangladesh. Significant changes in the number of fixed and mobile services deployed in Bangladesh occurred in the late 1990s and the number of services in operation has subsequently grown exponentially in the past five years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chunghwa Telecom</span> Taiwanese/Republic of Chinas telecommunications company

Chunghwa Telecom Company, Ltd. is the largest integrated telecom service provider in Taiwan, and the incumbent local exchange carrier of PSTN, Mobile, and broadband services in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Far EasTone</span>

Far EasTone Telecommunications is a telecommunications company based in Taiwan. It is the third largest behind Chunghwa Telecom and Taiwan Mobile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in Taiwan</span>

Telephone numbers in the Republic of China (Taiwan) use a system of area codes, beginning 02 to 08. The leading digit(s) following the area code denote the network operator (Chunghwa Telecom and its competitors). Mobile numbers begin 09. The international code for calls into Taiwan is 886.

Telecommunications in Angola include telephone, radio, television, and the Internet. The government controls all broadcast media with a nationwide reach.

Telecommunications in Ivory Coast include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taiwan Mobile</span>

Taiwan Mobile is a mobile phone operator based in Taiwan. It is the second largest telecom company behind Chunghwa Telecom.

References

  1. ↑ Han Cheung (20 February 2022). "Taiwan in Time: From rare commodity to coveted status symbol". Taipei Times. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  2. ↑ Foreseeing Innovative New Digiservices Archived 2007-08-21 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "Taiwan", Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 22 March 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  4. ↑ McLean, Asha. "Taiwan citing national security in Chinese streaming site block: Report". ZDNet. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.