The Ministry of Economic Affairs is offering subsidies not only to encourage 2G subscribers to shift to 4G, but also to boost the GDP of domestic consumption. In order to provide supporting measures to stimulate purchasing, the MOEA has invited six operators, including CHT, Taiwan Mobile, FarEasTone, Asia Pacific Telecom, Ambit and Tstar, to propose multiple plans including rate plans and smartphones, with the aim of motivating 2G subscribers to upgrade to 4G services.
Operators including Asus, HTC, Acer, Sony and Apple provide several 4G smartphones, offering various choices for users. Several types of smartphones do not even cost users any money after NT$2,000 in government subsidies and operator plans.
In line with the government subsidization, starting from November 7th, the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) has published a website (http://www.2gto4g.org.tw) for consumers to check the most recent information. In addition to looking up how many smartphones are left to apply for that day, applicants are also able to link to 4G carriers’ webpages for specific subsidized information. In addition, the IDB service line (02-25362680) is now available for users to call if they have any questions.
From November 7th, 2015 to February 29th, 2016, the government will subsidize 2G subscribers who are shifting to 4G services with operators’ special offers up to NT$2,000 per individual. The MOEA hopes the subsidization can both spread island-wide Internet service and relieve consumers’ burdens.