Sparq, FET and SeedNet to join forces

New Century InfoComm Tech (Sparq), Far Eastone Telecommunications (FET), and Digital United, which operates SeedNet, the second largest ISP in Taiwan, have teamed up and are planning to integrate their operating resources to become the Far Eastern Telecom Group (FETG). Each company will maintain their individual corporate status, but it is hoped that the integration will enhance each of the company’s business operations.

FETG will be a telecom subgroup of the Far Eastern Business Group, to which all three of the companies are affiliated. FET’s chairman, Douglas Hsu, is to be FETG’s president.

FETG will be comprised of four business units - home-use services, mobile services, business-use services, and value-added and multimedia services.

Sparq, FET and SeedNet have 2008 capital expenditure budgets of NT$1.3 billion, NT$8.9 billion and NT$200 million respectively. FET’s budget will mostly be used to expand the group’s HSDPA network, with the rest going into setting up its WiMAX infrastructure.