FarEasTone (FET) has taken a major step in exporting its telemedicine capabilities abroad, announcing on Dec. 8 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Taiwan's Teleport Access Services and Indonesia's state-owned satellite operator Telkomsat. The three parties will jointly develop satellite-based telemedicine services aimed at remote and underserved communities across Indonesia's far-flung islands.
With the 3GPP Release 19 standard nearing its freeze and SpaceX's Starship poised to slash launch costs, direct-to-device (D2D) satellite communication is emerging as the telecom industry's next major arena of competition.
The DIGITIMES Tech Forum 2026 opened on December 3, with DIGITIMES senior analyst Benson Wu saying that the lack of breakthrough 5G applications has made operators cautious about next-generation infrastructure investment, yet Agentic AI services may become the catalyst that re-energises 6G development and drives new demand for future communications networks.

