Taiwan has been focusing on the application of 5G, a prominent technology that has seen rapid development and implementation in recent years. 5G has experienced an impressive rollout in Taiwan so far. Currently, the island ranks third in the world for the fastest download speeds using 5G, and by the end of this year, it is expected to reach an overall 5G penetration rate of 30%.
The density of hardware required in each 5G tower is 3x higher than that of 4G, and the range of these towers is over 98% shorter. This means that in order to provide enough coverage, more technicians will be needed for installation works in each tower and more locations will need to be rented out to build these infrastructures.
Another challenge for 5G development in Taiwan is adopting it for enterprise use. Most 5G tools and solutions on the market prioritise consumers, as this segment has already demonstrated enthusiasm for 5G.In a survey, a third of respondents in a survey indicated that consumers were willing to pay more for faster internet speeds.
If businesses overcome the challenges in adoption, 5G could prove useful in improving operational efficiency. One way this can happen is by portioning and distributing the physical 5G network to meet the needs of different individual applications. For example, factories can use one portion of the 5G network to control automated machinery, while the rest of the bandwidth can be used for data retrieval.
Such advancements could reduce capital expenditure and operational costs by 49% and 36%, respectively. The technology could also give rise to new applications such as self-driving vehicles, which have an estimated value contribution of more than US$100 billion by 2035.
Having 5G capabilities is critical in this field. While on-the-fly decisions would still be made through onboard computing capabilities, cutting-edge technology is needed to constantly update these autonomous vehicles with information on positioning and roadside conditions, both of which are key aspects to improving driving safety.
Implementing 5G, which is significantly faster than 4G, means that information – such as sudden traffic congestion or heavy rains and flooding – can be fed to the vehicle almost instantaneously. Autonomous vehicles also rely heavily on AI models to make decisions while driving, and these models need to be kept up to date. 5G allows the data collected by the vehicle to be quickly sent to the cloud and fed to the AI for training, a process that would be much slower with 4G and make day-to-day use of such vehicles more cumbersome. Once AI models are updated, they can be easily downloaded in just a few minutes.
Looking forward, 5G will continue to have a bright future in Taiwan. About 70% of Taiwan Mobile’s enterprise clients have expressed interest in engaging to use 5G as part of their digital transformation journey. They see that in the future, businesses must be equipped with 5G capabilities.
As reported by OpenGov Asia, Taiwan has been adopting 5G technology in various areas, including fashion. Taipei leveraged 5G network services to connect fashion shows and art performances, and perform real-time shows in different places to provide a new integrated experience across various fields. 5G network services were also used to connect fashion catwalks and art performances in the “Opening Cross-field Show” as part of the opening event.
The tech company has cooperated with the venue to build a 5G private network where it combined 8K/4K high-resolution projection to create an immersive exhibition venue. With the advent of the 5G era, Taiwan has actively promoted the development of 5G innovative applications that integrate culture and technology.
