Taiwan Set to Allocate Low-tier Mobile Communications Frequencies

PHS MoU Group held the PHS Seminar in Taipei on November 25 and 26,1997 in cooperation with “Communication Magazine.” PHS frequency is expected to be allowed in Taiwan soon. A Taiwanese newspaper reported on January 2 about “low-tier wireless communication frequency allocated in Taiwan.” The general outline of the article is as follows:
The Directorate General of Telecommunications, Taiwan has announced it will reallocate 1880MHz-1918MHz and 1975-1990MHz bandwidths to the low-tier wireless communication service by the end of 1998 so as to allow both public and private communications operators to offer low-tier wireless communications service in populous urban areas.
The Directorate General plans to draft and publicize regulations regarding the reallocation by this June. It intends to have all the work completed by the end of 1998, including reception of applications and granting approvals. Low-tier wireless communications in Taiwan, therefore, is expected to commence as early as July 1999.
At present, there are three major technologies available for low-tier wireless communications: DECT in Europe, PACS in the U.S., and PHS in Japan. All three technologies use 20MHz frequency band at around 1900MHz. The Directorate General negotiated with the Ministry of Defense and broadcasters, and gained their approval to reallocate the bandwidths to the communication operators. Businesses who had failed to obtain licenses for the mobile phone service last year are all gearing up for the low-tier wireless communications service.
The Director-General of the Directorate General of Telecommunications emphasized that the Directorate General will maintain technology neutral and that it is the communications operators who will choose any of the three technologies.
He said that consideration would be given to granting additional evaluation points to those operators who choose systems manufactured in Taiwan as a way of boosting the low-tier wireless communications industry in Taiwan.
He also noted that the low-tier wireless communications services will initially be introduced in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung.