Chunghwa Telecom admits 4G connection slower since launch of 5G in Taiwan

中華電信承認在台灣推出5G後，4G連線速度變慢

Telecom giant says temporary glitches possible because two generations of networks share cell towers


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — With customer complaints mounting over a worsened 4G mobile connection after the launch of Taiwan's 5G network in early July, one telecom giant admits its 4G services have had an "unwanted" slower data connection since February.

Rumors have been circulating that local telecom service providers have slowed down their 4G mobile data to push customers to switch to 5G plans. Chunghwa Telecom's (中華電信) 4G subscribers are said to have complained the most.

Chunghwa Telecom responded by dismissing the rumors, saying the company would never promote 5G at the expense of the 4G plans. It explained that traffic had skyrocketed since early February during the coronavirus outbreak, leading to a congested 4G network given the large base of subscribers.

However, the company did not rule out a temporary glitch lasting around 10 minutes when the 5G network was launched, saying the network settings had been reset since the two different network generations share nearly all the country's cell towers.

An industry insider told Technews that such resets usually take place late at night to limit the inconvenience. Some users, though, have complained that the problem has persisted, the report said.

Chunghwa is Taiwan's leading 4G service provider, comprising a 36.2-percent share of wireless subscriptions in the first quarter of 2020, according to National Communication Commission (NCC) data. Taiwan Mobile (台灣大哥大) and FarEasTone (遠傳電信) are the other major 4G providers, with shares of 24.4 and 24.3 percent, respectively.