Artist : Mr. Chau-yih Yu
On 9 June 2021 the National Communications Commission (NCC) imposed special obligations relating to service quality on the five mobile network operators (MNOs) and major fixed network operators (FNOs). The affected MNOs and FNOs will have to deliver the following in line with the NCC’s schedule:
– submit terms and conditions of standard service contracts for the NCC’s approval prior to their implementation;
– perform regular self-evaluation of the services offered according to the NCC’s requirements and publish such evaluations for the NCC’s further verification;
– produce a report with details of customer benefit plans three months prior to its proposed service termination for the NCC’s approval, in addition to the subsequent one-month prior notice to the customers in issue; and
– take part in the formation of a unified organisation exclusively for handling customer complaints regarding telecoms services.
The NCC further ordered the MNOs – the top three of which currently each own fixed networks nationwide – to jointly propose draft articles of association for the NCC’s review by the end of February 2022. The specific association for handling customer complaints is scheduled to launch no later than August 2022 following the NCC’s permission of its establishment.
Since 2020 the NCC has initiated an unprecedented telecoms liberalization (for further details please see” What you need to know about the new Telecoms Act“). As a result, only a few telecoms service providers will have to register with the NCC and be subject to the new Telecoms Act. In contrast, broadcasters, cable television system operators and content suppliers that receive licences from the NCC remain closely watched through heavy-handed regulation in a similar way as designated telecoms service providers.
