Gold Apollo
 | |
Native name | 金阿波羅股份有限公司 |
|---|---|
| Industry | Wireless Paging System |
| Founded | October 1995 |
| Founder | Hsu Ching-kuang |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products |
|
| Owner | Hsu Ching-kuang |
Number of employees | 40 |
| Website | www |
Gold Apollo Co., Ltd. is a Taiwanese manufacturer of wireless paging systems.
Overview
[edit]Founded by Hsu Ching-kuang in October 1995, Gold Apollo produces POCSAG/FLEX pager. 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]
Market distribution
[edit]- Asia Pacific: Australia, Bengal, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan
- Middle East: Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E.
- North America: United States
- Europe: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, Ukraine
- D/A/CH: Germany, Switzerland, Austria ... Distributor HMK Telekommunikation GmbH
- South America: Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Venezuela[citation needed]
2024 tampering and explosions
[edit]In 2024, a third party tampered with a shipment of pagers to Lebanese political and military Islamist group Hezbollah, adding explosives and a detonating mechanism to them. According to American and other officials briefed on the operation, speaking anonymously, Israel was responsible for tampering with the devices.[3]
On 17 September 2024, some 5,000 Gold Apollo AR924 pagers exploded simultaneously in Lebanon and parts of Syria, at around 3:30 pm local time, killing twenty people, and injuring nearly 3,000. Injuries were predominantly to the face and hands (when a message was being viewed) or the hip (where pagers were worn).[4] The explosions appeared to be a co-ordinated attack on Hezbollah.[5][6][7]
Gold Apollo founder Hsu Ching-kuang told reporters that the company did not manufacture the pagers in question, which were produced by BAC Consulting KFT, a company based in Budapest, Hungary, under a licensing agreement that had been in place for three years.[8][9][10][11] BAC Consulting KFT has cooperated with Gold Apollo and represents many of its products.[12]
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.[13] The Shilin District Prosecutors Office has launched an investigation to clarify the facts of the case thoroughly.[14]
BAC Consulting CEO Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono confirmed the company's collaboration with Gold Apollo and stated that they do not manufacture pagers but serve only as an intermediary, without disclosing details about the contracted manufacturer.[15][16]
On September 19, under the direction of the prosecutors, the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau summoned the company's founder, Hsu Ching-kuang, for questioning. According to the seized shipping records and the contract between Gold Apollo and BAC, BAC had bought multiple batches of pagers from Gold Apollo three years before. Two years before, BAC had sought permission to manufacture the pagers and use Gold Apollo's trademark, paying Gold Apollo US$15 for each one.[17][18][19][20]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ https://tw.news.yahoo.com/金阿波羅國外市場大-全盛期荷蘭市占99-美國60-112500932.html
- ^ https://www.cw.com.tw/article/5111852
- ^ Frenkel, Sheera; Bergman, Ronen (September 17, 2024). "Planted Explosives in Pagers Sold to Hezbollah, Officials Say". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 September 2024.
- ^ https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-planted-explosives-hezbollahs-taiwan-made-pagers-say-sources-2024-09-18/
- ^ "Hezbollah official: Exploded pagers were a new brand, replaced cellphones at Nasrallah's order". The Times of Israel. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "Exploding Hezbollah devices reportedly issued in recent days". i24NEWS. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Gold Apollo says it did not make pagers used in Lebanon explosions". Reuters. 2024-09-18. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ "Taiwan's Gold Apollo Says Hezbollah Pagers Made By Hungary Partner," Barrons.
- ^ "Taiwanese Company Disavows Links to Exploding Pagers in Lebanon and Syria," Time.
- ^ "呼叫器100%非台灣製！金阿波羅喊冤「不是我做的」將跨國提告". TVBS News. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ "Taiwan's Gold Apollo says Hezbollah pagers made by Hungary partner BAC," Al Arabiya.
- ^ https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aipl/202409180114.aspx
- ^ https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aipl/202409180123.aspx
- ^ "Who made the exploding pagers? A messy global trail emerges behind deadly Lebanon blasts". NBC News. 2024-09-18. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ Lai, Johnson; Spike, Justin; Mroue, Bassem (2024-09-18). "Exploding pagers in attack on Hezbollah were made by a Hungarian company, another firm says". AP News. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ https://udn.com/news/story/123777/8238014
- ^ https://tw.news.yahoo.com/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-154111552.html
- ^ https://tw.news.yahoo.com/黎巴嫩呼叫器爆炸案-金阿波羅負責人許清光訊後請回-174406870.html
- ^ https://news.ttv.com.tw/news/11309190041800N