Two of Taiwan's major wireless service providers said Tuesday they plan to expand their paid wireless coverage, amid the growing popularity of wireless- based smartphones and tablet computers. Chunghwa Telecom Co., Taiwan's largest telecom service operator, said in a statement that by the end of this year it will provide wireless access at some 4,700 convenience stores in the 7-Eleven chain, which is operated by President Chain Store Corp. This will increase the number of Chunghwa Telecom 'hotspots' to 6,000, allowing its mobile device subscribers more opportunities for wireless connection, the company said. 'Chunghwa Telecom will continue to invest more than NT$3 billion (US$99.6 million) per year in the expansion and upgrade of its Internet infrastructure,' company president Chang Shaio-tung said. By next year, the number of hotspots is expected to exceed 10,000, he added. At present, Chunghwa Telecom has 5.26 million third-generation (3G) wireless service subscribers, some of whom will have free access to the wireless service at 7-Eleven stores, depending on their telecom packages. James Hsieh, chief operating officer of President Chain Store, said that the introduction of wireless hotspots at 7-Eleven stores will be an expansion of the role the chain now plays in the lives of consumers. He added that 7-Eleven is working to turn itself into a 'cloud convenience store' aimed at meeting consumers' mobile Internet needs. Meanwhile, Q-ware Communications Co., a Taipei-based company that operates the largest wireless Wi-Fi service network in Taiwan under the brand WIFLY, also plans to broaden its coverage. 'The number of WIFLY service spots will be doubled from the existing 5,000 to nearly 10,000 by the end of this year, ' the company's Product Manager Yu Chih- ming told selfnews in a telephone interview. 'Right now, we have already achieved 70 percent of that target, ' he said, adding that the goal for next year is 15,000 hotspots. Far EasTone Telecommunications Co., the country's third largest telecom service provider, is a major shareholder of Q-ware Communications. 