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COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA
THE sophisticated telecommunications industry saw major developments in 1993, including the establishment in July of the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) to steer Hong Kong towards an increasingly competitive market.
Existing and prospective telecommunications operators in the territory are planning infrastructural investments of some $45 billion over the next 10 years.
During 1993, Hong Kong became the first major city in the world to have a completely digital telecommunications network.
The territory also reported the second highest rate of mobile phone use in the world, the greatest number of paging subscribers per head of population, the highest rate of international telecoms use and the second largest number of fax machines per head of population.
The scheme of control of Hong Kong Telephone Company Limited was replaced by a price-capping arrangement, International Direct Dialling charges were reduced and the intention to license additional local fixed telecommunications networks was announced.
Subscription television sprang to life on October 31, bringing with it the world's first 24-hour news service in Chinese.
A further 19 new newspapers and 139 new periodicals joined the ranks of Hong Kong's flourishing free press in 1993.
The News Media
The news media in Hong Kong includes nearly 77 daily newspapers (including one in Braille), around 619 periodicals, two private television companies, a subscription television service, a regional satellite television service, one government radio-television station, two commercial radio stations and a radio station for the British Forces.
The availability in Hong Kong of the latest in telecommunications technology, together with growing interest in Hong Kong affairs, has attracted a large number of international news agencies, newspapers with international readership and overseas broadcasting corporations to establish regional offices in the territory. In addition, many international news media representatives have their regional base here. Regional publications are also produced here very successfully, underlining the territory's strong position as a financial, industrial, trading and communications centre.
URBAN COUNCIL PUBLIC LIBRARIES REFERENCE LIBRARY
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