By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter, in Taitung CityThe government might hold a second 5G auction sooner than previously planned after the nation’s first 5G auction entered its 15th day yesterday with total bids reaching nearly NT$80 billion (US$2.65 billion). The amount far exceeds the budget goals set by the Executive Yuan and the Legislative Yuan, which were NT$40 billion and NT$44 billion respectively. Asked if there is a possibility that the second 5G auction could be postponed after telecoms spent so much money bidding in the first auction, Chen said that the bids from the first auction could actually facilitate the second. “Our office has proposed that part of the funds generated from the 5G auction be used for emergency response purposes in the nation’s remote areas, as the government did with the 4G auction bids,” Hsiao said. “Meanwhile, we can use some of it to help relocate the two agencies and assist telecoms in building networks.”Regarding the 5G auction, which continues today, Chen said that telecoms should not focus on placing higher bids in the first stage of the auction.

Source: Taipei Times December 30, 2019 15:56 UTC