Taiwan's crowded telecommunications sector is likely to get even more competitive in the coming months as rival firms strive to woo customers away from each other and launch new services, at a time of economic upheaval. The telecommunications sector is regulated by the National Communications Commission (NCC), established in early 2006 as an independent body to replace the former regulatory authority,…
On January 14 officials at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP) said they anticipate the park's annual business revenue will reach almost $31bn in the next 10 years, up from a little over $8bn in 2007. They predicted that in a decade's time, 80,000 more jobs would be created, adding to the 185,100 that already exist within the park. The CTSP is an important centre for the development of the island's…
Last month, the government reiterated its pledge to invest almost $610m of its National Development Fund in the development of biotechnology and said it would raise an additional $922m for a venture capital fund in the biotechnology business. The National Development Fund has already invested $240m in the sector since it was set up 2002, with $110m invested directed to biotechnology enterprises and…
Quanta Computers announced it would start production of the low cost laptop for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project in September and that 3m would be made in the first round of production, with the majority of components being sourced from Taiwanese companies. The laptop is being developed by the OLPC organisation, which is a non-profit outfit created by academics at the Massachusetts Institute…
Last week Taiwan’s government announced it would soon be offering twice as much of its pension funds to foreign asset managers. This comes after legislation to set up a commission to manage the government’s Labour Pension Fund was approved earlier this month. The Labour Pension Fund is a government-run fund formed following pension system reforms made in July 2005. These reforms require Taiwan’s…
Rising fuel costs and environmental concerns have increased interest in alternative energy technologies such as solar power. Taiwanese companies are hoping to use their high-tech manufacturing resources to increase their global share of this potentially lucrative market. Kit Temple, the CEO of ENF, a market research firm that analyses the global solar industry, told OBG he was optimistic about the…
The government's M-Taiwan (mobile Taiwan) plan to build up wireless broadband technology looks set to push WiMAX to the top of the telecoms agenda in 2007. As the government hopes Taiwan can become a major centre for the development of WiMAX technology, there are some concerns over the way licences for any new mobile technology will be issued. According to a leading industry group for the technology,…
On January 4, Taiwan's high-speed rail network opened to the public for the first time. Once fully completed, the train will take passengers from Taipei in the north to Kaohsiung, the island's second biggest city in the south, in 90 minutes compared to four hours on the standard network. The 345km line runs down the western side of the island, through the country's most heavily populated area. The…
Taiwan's ranking has slipped slightly in the latest World Bank report on ease of doing business, dropping three places to 61st among global economies, though there is a good chance it will bounce back next year. The World Bank's "Doing Business 2009" report ranks 181 world economies based on 10 indicators of business regulation, including the time and cost to meet government requirements in starting…
2008 was another impressive year for Abu Dhabi, as the emirate continued to make high profile global investments despite depressing economic statistics abroad. Additionally, diversification reforms focusing on the environment, capital markets, transport and tourism continued at a vigorous pace. During the opening ceremony of the World Future Energy Summit at the beginning of the year, Sheikh Mohamed…
