Chunghwa cuts 3G rates to boost sales
Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan’s largest telecommunications operator, yesterday announced it will slash the rates of its 3G service to boost its customer base.
The rate reduction is part of the firm’s plan to increase 3G users by 50 percent to 3.3 million at the end of the year, said Lin Jen-hung, Chunghwa vice president.
“This is a crucial year for us,” Lin said. “2008 will determine which operators will win out in the 3G market.” Chunghwa plans to draw more 3G customers with a two-pronged approach: quality improvement and rate reduction.
The new rates will apply to Chunghwa users subscribing to the company’s 289, 589 and 989 plans. Chunghwa stressed there are no gimmicks to the new rates; users will enjoy rates of as low as NT$0.06 per second regardless of when, where or to which network a call is made. Usually, operators charge a higher rate for making regular-hour calls or outside-network calls. Other perqs offered by Chunghwa include a maximum of 240 free minutes, a NT$1.3 rate for making intra-network SMS messages, and discounts on dozens of models of 3G handsets including: Nokia 6280, 6210 Classic, E65, 6500 Slide, and N81; Sony Ericsson K530i, W880i and W910i; Samsung L768, F338 and i608; Motorola maxx V6; Toshiba 908A; and HTC P5500.
Meanwhile, Taiwan Mobile and Far EasTone, Chunghwa’ major competitors, said they will watch how successful Chunghwa’s new plans are before deciding whether to follow suit.
Tags: 3G, SMS, Taiwan