The Ministry of Economic Affairs launched an experimental 5G open network platform based in northern Taiwan’s Taoyuan City Aug. 7, spotlighting government efforts to enhance opportunities for domestic telecommunications sector to tap into the global market.
 
Organized by the MOEA in collaboration with state-backed Industrial Technology Research Institute, Taoyuan City Government, and U.S.-based Cisco Systems, Inc., the platform offers Taiwan manufacturers unrestricted access to 5G services, allowing them to conduct R&D on cutting-edge telecom equipment.
 
Participating enterprises include Accton Technology Corporation, Alpha Networks Inc. and Arcadyan Technology Corporation headquartered in northern Taiwan’s Hsinchu City; Askey Computer Corporation in New Taipei City; and Sercomm Corporation in Taipei City.
 
During the launch ceremony in Taipei, MOEA Minister Wang Mei-hua said the platform enables Taiwan companies to play a key role in shaping an integrated global supply chain for 5G applications. The government plans to work with members of Open Radio Access Network Alliance and Telecom Infra Project to further boost business opportunities for local manufacturers in the world market, she added.
 
Echoing her remarks, Kung Ming-hsin, minister of the Cabinet-level National Development Council, said a total of NT$20.4 billion (US$690 million) and NT$50 billion is expected to pour into the country’s telecommunications sector under the government’s 5G Action Plan and Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program, respectively.
 
Initiated by the Cabinet last year, the four-year action plan focuses on cultivating high-profile opportunities for testing vertical applications, establishing a platform for enhanced interindustry cooperation, growing Taiwan’s 5G footprint, strengthening support and protection for homegrown products and operational cybersecurity, and bringing relevant laws and regulations more in line with international standards.
 
The FIDP, passed the Legislature in 2017, is a comprehensive initiative aimed at addressing Taiwan’s key infrastructure needs for the next 30 years. It includes projects spanning railway development, digital infrastructure, aquatic environment, food safety, green energy, urban-rural development, boosting birth rates and child care facilities, and nurturing talent and employment. (YCH-E)
 
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