A few days ago, some people complained to the legislators, questioning whether there was a charge for dialing the 165 anti-fraud hotline for consultation! After inquiry by Member Lin Junxian, he found that whether it is the 165 hotline, the 1980 Teacher Zhang hotline or the 1995 life hotline, different telecom operators still have to pay for the call. Legislator Lin believes that these are important public services and should not be treated differently depending on which telecommunications provider they use. Therefore, he requires relevant units to prepare budgets so that all people can use them free of charge.
How much does it cost to call 165, Teacher Zhang 1980, and Lifeline 1995? What are the current special short code charging standards of the three major telecommunications companies? Here is an explanation:
Image source: JoongAng Ilbo
Are there any charges for calling 165 for anti-fraud consultation or asking for help from Mr. Zhang or the Lifeline hotline? The following is a summary video and detailed description of the special short code service hotline rates of the three major telecommunications companies:
1. How much does it cost to call the 165 hotline, Teacher Zhang 1980, and Lifeline 1995 hotline?
Since many government or public welfare organizations provide special code services through Chunghwa Telecom, unless the government agency has a budget, telecom operators will charge a discretionary fee based on the user pays principle. This is usually based on the local call rate or the connection fee charged by Chunghwa Telecom plus part of the administrative fee.
Since most of the special short code service platforms are provided by Chunghwa Telecom, it is free for Chunghwa Telecom’s local or mobile phone users to call most of the special short code hotlines related to public interests or charity groups. However, Taiwan Mobile and Far EasTone Telecommunications will charge consumers the connection fee charged by Chunghwa Telecom to the operator and some additional customer service costs.
Take the 165 anti-fraud consultation line as an example. This line is provided by Chunghwa Telecom, so calls made by Chunghwa Telecom users and local calls are free, but calls made by Far EasTone and Taiwan Columbia users will be charged 1 yuan per minute.
The 1980 teacher hotline and the 1995 lifeline hotline that provide psychological support services are free for Chunghwa Telecom mobile users and local users, but calls from Far EasTone and Taiwan Columbia University users will be charged 0.2718~0.5219 yuan per minute (depending on the time period).
According to data from the National Police Agency, the number of 165 dedicated line connections in 2025 will reach 475,000, an increase of 9% from 2023. According to NCC data, in 2025, Chunghwa Telecom will charge Far EasTone 165 dedicated line connection fees of approximately 96,000 yuan and Taiwan Mobile approximately 93,000 yuan. However, if it is used with Far EasTone, It is estimated that the total number of calls made by users to the 165 dedicated line throughout the year was approximately 688,000 minutes, and that of Taiwan Mobile users was approximately 991,000 minutes. The total call charges charged by the two operators to users were approximately 688,000 yuan and 991,000 yuan respectively. This shows that the public’s demand for anti-fraud help continues to rise, and also highlights the need for free services.
Legislator Lin Junxian requested the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Police Agency to discuss as soon as possible that the government should prepare a budget to cover the necessary connection fees and call costs for dedicated lines such as 165, 1980, and 1995, and requested the National Communications Commission to coordinate with various telecommunications operators to no longer charge call fees to the public after receiving government subsidies, so that these help lines can truly be free for all. The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Interior currently participating in the meeting have agreed and will actively discuss and promote implementation.。
2. Telecom Sanxiong special short code charges:
The following are the charging standards for short code services provided by the three major telecommunications companies:, please see each official website for details:
Source: KOCPC Chinese