Three operators with majority private-equity control are seeking approvals for changes in ownership. A decade or so ago, international private-equity (PE) firms looked on Taiwan’s major cable television enterprises as an excellent fit for their investment objectives. They saw opportunities to significantly improve the performance of companies in the cable sector to enable an eventual…
The National Communications Commission (NCC) surprised industry stakeholders in the fall of 2015 when, after years of study and preparation, it abruptly released the proposed text of a series of five new laws intended to promote digital convergence. The five draft acts cover electronic communication, telecom infrastructure and resources, cable systems, telecom services, and terrestrial…
After arriving late to the 4G game, Taiwan is determined to capitalize early on the next generation of mobile communication technology. Taiwan has ambitious plans for 5G, a new mobile communication technology with faster speeds, greater capacity, and lower latency (transmission delays) than current network systems. Telecom industry watchers expect the official 5G standard to…
Despite flat-rate data packages pinching the margins of telecom operators and creating network congestion, Taiwanese consumers are still signing up for 4G in droves. Dony Wang is underwhelmed by Taiwan’s 4G LTE service. The project manager for a Taipei-based clean-energy company purchased an iPhone 6 for his wife last fall. Since then, his wife has…
In the first big consolidation in the Taiwanese telecom and media sector in five years, Morgan Stanley and Far EasTone are playing leading roles. An investment consortium headed by Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPE Asia) with participation by Far EasTone Telecommunications Co. (FET) announced plans on July 30 to acquire China Network Systems (CNS),…
