with INTELSAT directly in these matters with the exception
of the final applications which are submitted through the
Signatory as a matter of formality.
Benefits
14.
The external communications of Hong Kong rely on
channels provided by cables, microwave radio,
high-frequency radio and communications satellites.
INTELSAT satellites play a significant role in connecting
Hong Kong with the rest of the
the world. A substantial
volume of
of the
the traffic of external
external telecommunications to
and from Hong Kong is routed through the channels provided
by INTELSAT. (As of March 1989, 3,969 voice grade
circuits out of a total of 13,352 circuits of various
types used
for external telecommunications to/from Hong
Kong were carried by INTELSAT satellites.) Hong Kong
relies on these channels to maintain an efficient external
telecommunications service. Hong Kong is now a major
financial, commercial and industrial centre of Asia. The
activities in the various sectors of the economy depend
heavily on
both internal and
telecommunications,
external. An efficient
telecommunication
infrastructure
is therefore vital to the continued development of the
economy of Hong Kong. Through contacts with the UK Party
and the UK Signatory and the participation at the INTELSAT
meetings, Hong Kong is able to keep abreast of the latest
developments in the policy making and operation of the