372 Communications, the Media and Information Technology
infrastructure, skills and culture for developing and adopting ICT, as reflected in Hong Kong's mobile subscription rate of 210.2 per cent, one of the highest in the world; and in its household broadband penetration rate of 86.6 per cent, among the highest in Asia; as well as in its Smart Identity Card, one of the first to be invented in the world.
Hong Kong as a Leading Digital Economy
Driving E-business
The Government is committed to providing the necessary infrastructure for Hong Kong's digital economy to flourish. The Electronic Transactions Ordinance provides a clear legal framework for the conduct of secure electronic transactions, to support the continuous development of e-government and e-business services.
Two certification authorities are recognised under the ordinance to issue digital certificates to enable people and organisations to conduct electronic transactions in
a secure manner.
Administration of '.hk' Domain Names
The Government designated the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC), a non-profit company, to administer the '.hk' domain name.
In March, the HKIRC launched the full Chinese country code top level domain, enabled the Chinese-speaking communities around the world to access Hong Kong websites using a web address written entirely in Chinese. This is conducive to e-business development in Hong Kong and other uses of the Internet for the Chinese-speaking community.
IT Manpower
The Government is committed to creating an environment where a well- qualified IT workforce can flourish and meet the needs of a digital economy. The Government works closely with industry and academia to facilitate continuous upgrading of the IT workforce. It has been providing support for annual IT exchange programme and IT Internship programme for years, which afford opportunities for students and fresh graduates to gain practical working experience. The Government also supports promotional projects to inspire students to take up IT programmes in tertiary studies and IT careers in future.
Hong Kong as a Hub for Technological Co-operation and Trade
Facilitating the IT Industry
The Government has introduced a range of measures to cultivate a vibrant, competitive and innovative ICT industry by increasing business opportunities, improving service quality and building expertise.
The Government adopts an aggressive outsourcing policy for its IT projects. This, together with programmes aimed at promoting the use of IT in business and the community, has created an environment for growing the local industry. The