Far EasTone (FET) outlined the energy and costs saving a merger with Asia Pacific Telecom (APT) would bring after integration, noting it plans to shut down at least 5,000 base stations to reduce overlap, Taipei Times reported.

The newspaper reported FET president Chee Ching said streamlining the combined network will reduce annual carbon emissions by about 25,000 tonnes annually.

He told Taipei Times a majority of APT base stations can be integrated with FET’s.

With the Taiwan government requiring operators to close their 3G networks in 2024, FET is likely to decommission another 12,000 base stations, leading to additional energy savings, Taipei Times wrote.

FET aims to complete the merger in Q3, which it estimates will lead to TWD3 billion ($98.9 million) in savings within a year, Taipei Times stated.

The merger was approved by the National Communications Commission in January 2022 and still requires clearance from the Fair Trade Commission.