70. Cable and Wireless Ltd. provide international telephone and telegraphic services and internal telegraphic services under the terms of the licence granted to them. They also provide and maintain various external circuits and other telecommunication facilities for the Govern-
ment.
71. Wireless television broadcast services are operated by private companies under licences issued in conformance with the provisions of the Television Ordinance.
72. The Post Office is responsible for the issue of licences and the regulation of services as specified in the Telecommunications Regula- tions. It also advises the Government on general technical issues con- cerning the provision of all types of services, including the operation of the public telephone network, the provision of external telecom- munication facilities and television services. The Hong Kong Com- munications Board facilitates the co-ordination of all civil services with those of the Armed Forces and a committee of the Board is convened monthly to approve the allocations of radio frequencies for various purposes.
73. The Post Office also provides a maintenance facility for mis- cellaneous telecommunications and electronic equipment operated by Government Departments.
Licensing and Inspection
74. The demand for frequencies by the private sector continues and 113 new applications were received. Those companies with a small number of mobiles were required to share a frequency. There are now 5,718 mobile stations in operation in the colony served by 566 base stations, an increase of 1,279 and 113 respectively over the past year.
75. The growing popularity of telex usage is also reflected in the year's figures, there being 3,515 private telegraph licences in force compared with last year.
76. Three new types of licence were introduced during the past year, namely a Wideband Link and Relay Station licence to care for wide- band transmission systems for multichannel telephony and data; a Closed Circuit Television Licence which caters for systems distributing information to members of the public, such as the Stock Exchanges and members; and a Broadcast Relay Station Licence to cater for Cable
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