Evaluating development strategies for Taiwan´s iB3G industry: a fuzzy MCDM approach

Foreseeing an enormous demand for seamless communication and ubiquitous interconnectivity, Taiwan has launched a national-level dual network program called integrated beyond the third generation (iB3G) to seize the opportunities posed by technological discontinuity. The iB3G initiative aims to leverage Taiwan´s manufacturing strengths and brand Taiwan as a powerhouse in the creation of integrated cellular/WLAN technologies and services. This paper attempts to secure a consensus on the optimal development strategies and their effective implementation. Our analysis employs a fuzzy multi-criteria decision making (FMCDM) framework with an empirical formula to examine its practicability and usefulness. Based on business, technical and environmental issues, strategies are proffered as follows: (1) shared-value chain and cross-industry collaboration; (2) attractive applications/rich content and service trials on networks; (3) collaborative R&D of multi-mode handsets and integrated network systems; (4) active participation in international standard activities to advance intellectual property; (5) proactive policy tools for business innovation, cultivation of talent and entrepreneurship; (6) supportive regulatory mechanism and sound broadband environment, and (7) promoting the iB3G vision worldwide and asserting leadership. Three clusters are extracted among the seven strategies by fuzzy C-Means approach. Results show that the second strategy receives the highest score.