COMMUNICATIONS
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phototelegraph services between Hong Kong and countries abroad, for the radiotelegraph and radiotelephone services with ships at sea, and for a VHF Harborfone service with ships in Hong Kong Harbour. They also run a service for internal telegrams on Hong Kong Island and in the New Territories, and are responsible for the technical maintenance of the Colony's aeradio and meteoro- logical radio services, the Government broadcasting service, and the VHF communications of some Government departments.
The despatch, reception and relaying of telegrams is the Com- pany's principal business. The number of telegrams handled, including those in transit, is more than 3,000,000 a year. The telegraphic communications of the Colony are served by several deep sea cables linked to the Company's worldwide network of 142,500 miles of submarine cables, and by 20 direct high speed wireless telegraph circuits working to other centres in the Far East and beyond. During the year a new radiotelegraph circuit was opened to Rangoon in Burma.
The overseas radiotelephone services, worked in collaboration with the Hong Kong Telephone Company, continued to expand during the year. Services were established to Burma, Cambodia, Ceylon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sahara and Tobago, and new relay services were also opened through Hong Kong between Bangkok and Seoul, Taipei and London, Taipei and Karachi, and Australia and Seoul. Working schedules were extended with some other places.
The Company's Harborfone service continued to be much used. Any ship within the harbour limits can be fitted with a VHF installation on hire, giving direct communication between ship and ship, or between ship and any subscriber on the Hong Kong telephone exchange.
Telex has taken great strides since its opening in May 1959. The service has been rapidly extended and now includes com- munication with Argentine, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Eire, Finland, France, Germany (East and West), Ghana, Honolulu, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Lagos, Luxembourg, Malaya, Manila, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Rhodesia, Singapore, St Croix, St Thomas, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States and Venezuela.