(Nikkei BP Group)
(No.1 High-Tech News Site in Japanese)
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| Cellular Phones Gain Popularity in Taiwan
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January 22, 1999 (TAIPEI) -- The number of mobile phone users in Taiwan
is expected to reach 6.58 million, or 30 percent of Taiwan's total population,
by the end of 1999.
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This is according to an executive from a local telecommunications company.
The executive indicated that at the end of 1998, more than 20 percent
of the island's residents, or 4.2 million, owned cellular phones. The
number of new cell phone consumers is likely to increase by 2.38 million
this year to a total of 6.58 million.
The executive predicts that dual-band model phones will replace the mono-band
models as the new trend in mobile phones. He also predicts that companies
will shift their market focus to potential clients under 25 years of
age.
State-run Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. indicated plans to scale down tariffs
to sharpen its competitiveness. Its counterparts in the private sector
are expected to follow suit during the first quarter of 1999. Joint
ventures in this sector are also expected to develop.
Results of a recent market survey show that cellular phones are gaining
popularity among teenagers as well as among people with monthly salaries
of less than NT$25,000 (US$775). Of survey respondents who do not yet
have cellular phones, 41.6 percent said they would consider buying prepaid
cards, reflecting a growing market for these cards.
(Commercial Times, Taiwan)
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