***Taiwan's Cellular Phone Users Top 10 Million Mark
(January 9)
According to the China Times, the number of cellular telephone
users in Taiwan surpassed the 10 million mark at the end of 1999,
according to the Directorate General of Telecommunications. This
means that 45.43 percent of the island's population is using
portable telephones, higher than Singapore's 44.63 percent and
Japan's 42.98 percent, but lower than Hong Kong's 59.43 percent.
Cellular phone users in Taiwan totaled only 1.49 million before
the government opened the market to the private sector about two
years ago. The island's total annual revenue from cellular phone-
related businesses was tallied at US$590 million in June 1996,
and jumped to US$2.96 billion by June 1999, with the number of
employees rising from 2,837 to 8,199.
Concerning the Internet, the number of users in Taiwan was
registered at 4.02 million in June 1999, accounting for 18.3
percent of the island's population. The rate was lower than
Singapore's 26.6 percent and Australia's 23.4 percent, but higher
than Japan's 13.6 percent.
Wave Issue 2002 1/14/00 Article 5-01