MOEA Sees Bright Future for Taiwan`s E-Book Industry

Expecting the overall revenue of Taiwan`s e-book industry to jump from 2009`s NT$12 billion to NT$42 billion in two years, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) will make it one of its major tasks to fuel domestic use of e-book reading devices over the next two years.

Vice Economic Minister JC Hwang said that although many of the island`s manufacturers have ventured into the e-book industry, whether the nascent industry will prosper or not will depend on whether there is a steady market.

To bolster the development of the industry, the ministry organized an ad hoc panel last year, headed by Hwang himself. At a recent meeting, the panel invited the Taipei Computer Association to join its efforts to draw up standards for the industry so that an industrial chain could be formed as quickly as possible.

Hwang said the ministry would roll out some promotion programs this year to stimulate the use of e-books. He estimated at least 10 of the island`s electronic manufacturers have introduced around 25 e-book readers, and several publishers and telecom carriers have introduced e-book content downloads.

Source: CENS