Asia Pacific Telecom (APT) is currently focusing on the optimization of 4G networks and accelerating its deployments in the IoT and smart home applications as it is teaming up with the Foxconn Group to migrate into the 5G era, according to company chairman Lu Fang-ming.
The company will begin to offer commercial NB-IoT services at the end of June, utilizing its GSMA-verified mobile IoT open lab, which supports NB-IoT and eMTC LTE-M technologies.
APT plans to implement its Magic Box 2.0 solution to improve the penetration rate and service quality of its 4G LTE networks in July, Lu said, adding that the company will also exert efforts to promote ICT and cloud services such as AWS hybrid cloud and SecuDocX services to enterprise clients, Lu said.
However, Lu admitted that it will be a great challenge for APT to bring its EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) into the positive territory in 2018, citing increasing tariff rate competition in the industry.
While acknowledging that the number of APT's mobile service subscribers (1.8-1.9 million currently) has not yet reached economies of scale, the company will continue to crank out new application services to reach its goal of having positive EBITDA soon, Lu stated.
