Gold Apollo

Taiwanese manufacturer of wireless paging systems
Gold Apollo Corporation Limited
Native name
金阿波羅股份有限公司
IndustryTelecommunications
FoundedOctober 1995 (1995-10)
FounderHsu Ching-kuang
Headquarters,
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsPagers
OwnerHsu Ching-kuang
Number of employees
40
Websitegapollo.com.tw

Gold Apollo Co., Ltd. is a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer of wireless paging systems compatible with POCSAG and FLEX.

History

The company was founded by Taiwanese businessman Hsu Ching-kuang (許清光) in October 1995. Initially, the company only produced numeric pagers and focused on the domestic market. However, in 1999, when Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom announced it would no longer issue pager numbers, the pager market collapsed overnight. In response, Gold Apollo began actively seeking to export its products abroad. In 2011, Gold Apollo became one of the few global experts in pagers, ranking as the largest pager company in the North American market and the second largest in Europe.[1][2]

2024 investigation

Between September and November 2024, the company was being investigated by the Shilin District Prosecutors Office for possible involvement in the 2024 Lebanon electronic device attacks, ultimately concluding that no Taiwanese people or organizations were involved in the attack on Hezbollah.[3]

On 17 September 2024, some 5,000 Gold Apollo AR924 pagers in use by Hezbollah exploded simultaneously in Lebanon and parts of Syria, at around 3:30 pm local time.[4]

A preliminary investigation by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs indicates that from 2022 to August 2024, Gold Apollo exported approximately 260,000 call devices from Taiwan. Between January and August 2024, 40,929 units were shipped, primarily to Europe and the United States. No incidents of explosions similar to those reported in the media have been associated with this batch of devices, and there are no records of direct exports to Lebanon.[5]

In 2022, the Hungarian company BAC Consulting KFT had sought permission to manufacture the pagers and use Gold Apollo's trademark, paying Gold Apollo US$15 for each one.[6][7][8][9] According to the seized shipping records and the contract between Gold Apollo and BAC Consulting KFT, BAC Consulting KFT had bought multiple batches of pagers from Gold Apollo three years before.

See also

References

  1. ^ "金阿波羅國外市場大 全盛期荷蘭市占99%美國60%" (in Chinese). Yahoo! Taiwan. Chinese Television System. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  2. ^ "金阿波羅 用對講機 扣住FBI的心". CommonWeath Magazine (in Chinese). 27 July 2011.
  3. ^ Liu, Shih-yi; Liu, Kay (11 November 2024). "Taiwan closes Lebanon pager explosion case, no local involvement found". Central News Agency. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  4. ^ Belam, Martin; Lowe, Yohannes; Chao-Fong, Léonie; Ambrose, Tom; Graham-Harrison, Emma; Sabbagh, Dan; Wintour, Patrick (17 September 2024). "Lebanon attacks 'an extremely concerning escalation', says UN official, as Hezbollah threatens retaliation – live". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  5. ^ 劉, 千綾 (18 September 2024). "台製呼叫器釀爆炸? 經部:業者無直接出口黎巴嫩紀錄" (in Chinese). Central News Agency. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  6. ^ 黃, 子騰 (19 September 2024). "金阿波羅與BAC合約曝光! 每個貼牌呼叫器可收15美金利潤". United Daily News (in Chinese). Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  7. ^ "快訊/捲入黎巴嫩BB Call爆炸案 「金阿波羅」董座深夜抵士檢複訊" (in Chinese). Yahoo! Taiwan. Chung Tien Television. 19 September 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  8. ^ 呂, 志明 (19 September 2024). "黎巴嫩呼叫器爆炸案 金阿波羅負責人許清光訊後請回" (in Chinese). Yahoo! Taiwan. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  9. ^ 林, 宸頡; 王, 緯丞; 彭, 以德 (19 September 2024). "合約曝光「1呼叫器收15美金」 金阿波羅賺BAC貼牌" (in Chinese). Taiwan Television. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  • Corporate website
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