Taipei residents will be able to enjoy faster Internet speeds at lower prices after a new fiber-optic cable system is installed within the next four years, according to the Taipei City government Jan. 3.
“The Internet is a daily necessity like air in present society,” said Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-bin. “We expect broadband coverage, with speeds of 100 megabytes per second, to reach 80 percent of the households in Taipei by the end of 2014, making it the first smart city in Taiwan.”
Hau added that people residing in Nangang, Neihu and Songshan districts can begin enjoying the service in mid-2013.
The mayor’s remarks came after the TCG inked earlier in the day a contract with five construction and information and communication technology firms to lay over 3,000 kilometers of fiber-optic cables throughout the city.
The five companies—Glory Technology Inc., Jen Yi Construction Co. Ltd., Marketech International Corp., Ring Line Corp. and Tai Tung Communication Co. Ltd.—will invest more than NT$38 billion (US$1.3 billion) over the next 25 years to manage and construct fiber-to-the-home service.
Compared to Australia and Singapore, which spent NT$700 billion and NT$30 billion respectively in pushing for fiber-optic policies, the TCG will not have to spend a penny, but instead can obtain royalties of at least 0.5 percent of the annual revenue, an unnamed TCG official said.
To add icing on the cake, the official added, the fiber-optic fees will be 10 percent less than current prices.
