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The Media, Communications and Information Technology
Satellite Communications
The two Hong Kong companies licensed to operate and provide satellite communication services were operating nine satellites at the end of 2013. Some of these satellites have been in service for more than 15 years and will soon reach the end of their designed operation lives. The two companies have entered a new investment cycle of launching new satellites for replacement and provision of new business.
Combating Unsolicited Electronic Messages
The Unsolicited Electronic Messages Ordinance (UEMO) regulates the sending of commercial electronic messages (CEMs), including fax, pre-recorded voice messages, short messages and emails. Under the UEMO, senders of CEMS are required to comply with specific sending rules. There are three 'do-not-call' registers (DNCs) for fax, short messages and pre-recorded telephone messages respectively. Senders are prohibited from sending CEMS to the DNC-registered numbers without the consent of the number's registered user. By 31 December 2013, more than 2.6 million numbers were registered in the three DNCs.
Since the introduction of the UEMO in 2007, the CA has received over 25,000 reports of suspected contraventions and has issued 606 warning letters and 23 enforcement notices to senders. The number of reports fell from 6,100 in 2009 to around 2,000 in 2013, a testimony to the effectiveness of the regulatory regime. The HKSAR Government continues to work with other countries and regions to combat spam or unsolicited e-mails sent indiscriminately.
Protection of Consumers
The booming mobile telecommunications market, growing number of smart phone users and rapid technological developments in recent years have generated a number of consumer issues, such as service quality, billing and contractual disputes, which the OFCA has been working closely with the industry to resolve. From 2010 onwards, the OFCA and the industry started to adopt a number of initiatives to tackle issues concerning chargeable mobile content services, mobile bill shock, contractual disputes, implementation of fair usage policy by telecom operators, billing information and payment collection, and performance of mobile broadband services.
To resolve billing disputes in deadlock between telecommunications service providers and their customers, the telecommunications industry set up a Customer Complaint Settlement Scheme (CCSS) for a trial period of two years from November 2012 with funding support from the OFCA. The CCSS seeks to resolve the disputes through mediation, which is considered to be more efficient, effective and less costly than formal litigation. Eleven major telecommunications service providers and six mobile virtual network operators participate in the scheme.
International Activities
Hong Kong continues to be an active player in international telecommunications forums. In addition to being a member of the Mainland delegation to conferences and meetings organised by the International Telecommunication Union, Hong Kong participates as an independent member at meetings of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity and the Telecommunications and Information Working Group of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-
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