Chunghwa Telecom customers demonstrated something of a need for speed in Q2, with chair and CEO Chi-Mau Sheih crediting upgrades to the Taiwanese operator’s 5G and higher-speed fixed broadband networks for fuelling consumer unit gains.

Sheih stated Chunghwa Telecom made progress in putting the effects of Covid-19 (coronavirus) behind it and detailed plans to maintain ongoing expansion efforts outside of its home market.

Adoption of 5G services by existing subscribers fuelled “an average 37 per cent uplift in monthly fees” for Chunghwa Telecom’s mobile business, while broadband customers opting for packages offering data rates of 500Mb/s contributed to ARPU gains.

Sheih highlighted continued interest in a bundle combining broadband, mobile and Wi-Fi, and noted its enterprise division was “driven by our ICT business”.

Chunghwa Telecom aims to broaden availability of a private 5G network product in other Southeast Asian markets, part of an expansion plan Sheih noted was advanced in Q2 through a smart hospital MoU with Thonburi Hospital in Thailand.

Net profit attributable to shareholders grew 8.1 per cent year-on-year to TWD9.7 billion ($322.7 million).

Consumer unit revenue of TWD52.4 billion was 5.7 per cent higher, with mobile services up 3.3 per cent to TWD31.5 billion and fixed line rising 5.3 per cent to TWD12.8 billion.

Enterprise revenue grew 2.1 per cent to TWD7.5 billion and its International unit 31.7 per cent to TWD6 billion.