後5G時代臺灣電信集團生態系競爭策略分析

Abstract

臺灣自1996年7月開放電信自由化以來，政府對電信特許執照進行鬆綁開放，透過民間企業參與電信基礎建設與提供通訊網路服務，臺灣電信產業不論是在總用戶數、訊號含蓋率、人口普及率、行動及固網上網流量上，皆呈現爆發性的成長。一路走來，歷經多家民營電信業者成立、併購、消失，直至2023年上半年，依然留下了五間最有實力的電信業者：中華電信，台灣大哥大、遠傳電信、亞太電信、台灣之星，但在如此榮景的背後，也帶來了電信產業的新危機。 開放競爭的電信產業，確實如預期為民眾帶來物美價廉的電信服務，但由五家電信業者共同分食臺灣這塊僅2,300萬人口的小型市場，加上電信產業進入門檻高，資本支出相當高，導致退出市場難度也高，從4G時代就展開了非理性的電信資費價格戰，再加上免費語音通訊軟體的崛起，大幅降低了電信本業的營收利潤。尤有甚者，後來5G頻譜標金成本過高，嚴重擠壓主打低資費的亞太電信和台灣之星的生存空間，導致2023年下半年的「遠亞併」和「台台併」，電信市場終究回到三雄鼎立的競爭態勢，但在競爭本質上，已發生巨大轉變。 本研究發現，早在4G時代後期，各家電信公司早已警覺到危機並採取行動，開始啟動電信生態系的發展計畫，且不約而同，大多選擇「數位轉型」的企業優勢項目進行生態系和差異化策略布局，如工業物聯網、建立影音串流平台、發展電商購物、推廣電信帳單代收代付、增加廣告業務…等非傳統電信營收領域去建造生態系。進入後5G時代，各家電信業者更利用5G技術特性，加速發展各自的電信生態系，積極尋找價值主張相近的策略夥伴，快速創造第二成長營收。臺灣電信產業已漸漸回歸到較健康的良性競爭狀態，但傳統上由「電信公司」與「電信公司」的競爭，已發展成「電信生態系」與「電信生態系」的競爭，5G不僅改變了電信公司間的競爭方式，也擴大了整體電信產業的競爭場域。

Since the liberalization of telecommunications in July 1996, the Taiwanese government has relaxed restrictions on telecommunications licenses, allowing private enterprises to participate in the development of telecommunications infrastructure and the provision of network services. This has led to explosive growth in Taiwan's telecommunications industry, evidenced by the increase in total users, signal coverage, population penetration, and internet traffic for both mobile and fixed networks. Over the years, multiple private telecommunications companies have been established, merged, or dissolved. As of the first half of 2023, five major telecommunications companies remain: Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile, Far EasTone, Asia Pacific Telecom, and Taiwan Star. However, behind this prosperity, new challenges are emerging in the telecommunications industry. The liberalized telecommunications industry has indeed provided consumers with affordable and high-quality services as expected. However, with five companies sharing Taiwan's relatively small market of only 23 million people, coupled with the high entry barriers and substantial capital expenditures of the telecommunications industry, exiting the market is also difficult. This has led to irrational price wars in telecom rates since the 4G era. Additionally, the rise of free voice communication software has significantly reduced the revenue and profits from traditional telecommunications services. Furthermore, the high cost of 5G spectrum auctions has severely squeezed the survival space for low-cost providers like Asia Pacific Telecom and Taiwan Star, resulting in the mergers of Far EasTone with Asia Pacific Telecom and Taiwan Mobile with Taiwan Star in the second half of 2023. Ultimately, the telecom market has returned to a competitive landscape dominated by three major players, but the nature of competition has undergone a significant transformation. This study finds that, as early as the late 4G era, telecom companies had already become aware of the impending crisis and taken action by initiating the development of telecom ecosystems. They have largely chosen to implement "digital transformation" projects to strategically differentiate and build ecosystems, focusing on areas such as industrial IoT, establishing video streaming platforms, developing e-commerce, promoting telecom billing and payment services, and expanding advertising businesses—areas outside traditional telecom revenue streams. In the post-5G era, telecom companies have further leveraged the characteristics of 5G technology to accelerate the development of their ecosystems, actively seeking strategic partners with similar value propositions to quickly generate secondary growth revenue. Taiwan's telecommunications industry has gradually returned to a healthier and more positive competitive state. However, the traditional competition between "telecom companies" has evolved into a competition between "telecom ecosystems," with 5G not only altering the nature of competition among telecom companies but also expanding the overall competitive landscape of the telecommunications industry.