Telephones
92. The Hong Kong Telephone Company Limited, a public Company registered in Hong Kong and operating under a franchise from the Hong Kong Government, provides all internal telephone services.
93. Telephonic communication with the rest of the world is provided in conjunction with Cable and Wireless Limited, Hong Kong operators can now dial direct to distant subscribers in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan and Macau. The number of overseas calls originating in Hong Kong during 1967 was 50% more than in the previous year.
94. The telephone system is fully automatic, service being provided from 32 exchanges situated throughout the territory, including the major outlying islands. Eleven new exchange buildings were completed during the period under review and a further five are under construc- tion. One of these, at Wong Tai Sin, which is due for completion in June 1968, will ultimately provide 100,000 lines and will be the largest single telephone exchange in the world.
95. At 31st March, 1968 there were 370,150 telephones in service, an increase of 55,482 over the March 1967 figure. An even greater increase is planned for the current year and the heavy application rate for telephones shows no signs of abating.
International Telecommunications
96. Overseas communications are provided by Cable and Wireless Limited. The 400-million dollar SEACOM Cable Project was completed in 1967, thus linking Hong Kong by wideband submarine cable to numerous overseas cities. To the west the SEACOM cable connects with Kota Kinabalu (formerly Jesselton), Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and eastward to Guam, Australia and then on to Canada and Europe. From Guam the SEACOM cable joins with alternative cables to give high quality channels to Japan, the Philippines and the U.S.A. These new high grade channels created a 50% increase in telephone traffic and additional automatic switching and dialling equipment was installed in Mercury House to cater for this.
Telex
97. This very popular service, giving individual office to office communications, continues to expand. The Company has over 470 sub-
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