Taipei, 11 June – The European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT) today announced that recommendations made in two of the issues raised in the 2014 Position Paper of the chamber's Telecommunications Media and Content (TMC) committee have either been fully adopted or resolved.

On the issue raised by the TMC committee related to tiered pricing, the National Communications Commission (NCC) has removed the pricing cap, thereby allowing telecom operators to set their own data usage and pricing plans for each mobile phone service package. Members of the TMC committee believe that this amendment is vital to ensure the sustainable development of the mobile telecom industry. In particular, they believe this will encourage service providers to invest in networks and offer end-users a variety of tariff plans that cater to their needs and will encourage the wide-spread usage of mobile broadband without compromising network and service quality.

Another issue raised by the TMC committee in its 2014 position paper listed a number of recommendations to the government to put funds raised by the auction of 4G licences (over and above the government's defined floor price) into a dedicated fund to be used to support the development of the mobile broadband industry. In response the Executive Yuan has adopted several specific recommendations made by the TMC committee by allocating NT$15 billion of the funds raised for industry development. Funds will be used to increase network deployment in rural areas, enhance public indoor coverage by requesting authorities to allow the installation of mobile base stations on public buildings, encourage industrial innovation by granting funding to operators, clarify base station healthcare concerns by involving the Ministry of Health and Welfare to conduct educational campaigns and facilitate R&D investment in the next generation of mobile telecommunications (5G).

In response to the recent developments, the ECCT's TMC committee has expressed its appreciation to the government, particularly the NCC, for its concerted and sincere efforts to consult with the industry and implement actions to address the concerns of all stakeholders. The TMC committee believes the actions taken will go a long way towards protecting consumer rights all across Taiwan and foster the sustainable and long-term development of the telecom industry in Taiwan.