Taiwan drafts timeline for 4G mobile services

Taiwan unveiled its plan for the launch of super-fast 4G mobile Internet Monday, with demand for speedier services that can rapidly transfer images on the rise, officials said.

The National Communications Commission, the island's telecom regulator, will accept bids for 4G spectrum late in 2013, with up to eight licences to be granted by December of that year, and the service to become operational in 2015. "The plan will have far-reaching influences on Taiwan's telecom market 10 years ahead," an official with the commission, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

4G, which operates five times faster than the current 3G network, allows users to download large e-mail attachments quickly, watch live television without buffering, make high-quality video calls and play live games on the go.

Taiwan lags behind the global rollout of 4G, with dozens of countries including the United States and Germany as well as parts of Asia already offering the service to businesses and consumers.