Three major mobile phone service providers are fighting a war on unlimited data phone plans. Chunghwa Telecom recently announced a NT$499 unlimited monthly plan that is available to all users while FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile responded with similar plans of their own. Meanwhile, some long term users complained about the new option and said they are considering terminating their current contracts and sign up for a new one.
Number 1042, please go to counter number eight.
A Chunghwa Telecom store was full of people at 10 a.m. on May 10. There were about 300 people waiting. All of them were there to sign up for a NT$499 unlimited monthly data plan.
I arrived at 8:30 a.m., and I've been waiting for over an hour. There is a big difference in the cost. I didn't know there would be so many people here.
Many users signed up for this plan even though they had to pay a penalty fee to terminate their current plan. Chunghwa Telecom said every user has different service fees. For those whose data plans are tied to phone purchases, there is a bigger difference. Meanwhile, users who recently signed up for NT$599 or NT$699 data plans that were promoted as the most favorable option at that time complained about Chunghwa Telecom offering a NT$499 plan. They suspect the telecom launched this plan just to collect on penalty fees.
It should offer some protection for long-time users when it comes to upgrades. This happened to my friend. He just bought an iPhone X, and he will have to pay NT$10,000 for breaking the contract.
Other telecoms announced new plans in response to Chunghwa Telecom's NT$499 plan. Taiwan Mobile offered a plan with virtually the same fees as Chunghwa Telecom, but with different tied plan conditions. Meanwhile, FarEasTone requires users to sign up for two-year contracts. Telecom industry analysts say the number of 4G users is growing at a rapid pace, and a price war is approaching. In the future, telecoms will not only compete with each other through pricing, but also through service and reception.