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A new telecommunication era in Hong Kong
The Secretary for Economic Services, Mr Gordon Siu, said today (Friday) - July 1, 1995 - would mark "a new era in Hong Kong's Telecommunications development".
He said: "The end of Hong Kong Telephone Company's monopoly on local fixed-line telephone service today brings with it the complete liberalisation of Hong Kong's local telecom market.
"Starting from tomorrow (Saturday), Hong Kong consumers can have four telephone companies to choose from. They are Hong Kong Telephone, Hutchison Communications, New T&T Hong Kong, and New World Telephone.
"The opening up of fixed network services to competition includes basic local telephone service, fax, data, etc. With four competing fixed network operators, Hong Kong will have one of the most liberal and open local telecommunications markets in the world, well ahead of most other western countries.
"The success of competition in mobile communications services is here for all to see. We now have very high mobile penetration rates and consumers have a wide range of products and services at reasonable and affordable prices to choose from.
"The expiry of Hong Kong Telephone's monopoly means that it is now possible to extend the success competition has brought about to other sectors of telecommunications in Hong Kong," he added.
Mr Siu said Hong Kong was not looking for competition for competition's sake.
"With the rapid development of telecommunications technologies, we expect competition to bring not only more choice, better quality of service, and lower prices to consumers, but more importantly, it will spur service innovation.
"Some of the new services we expect to see, through fixed network competition, will include personal numbering which will allow customers to be reached on a single telephone number wherever they are and high speed data transmission services which will meet the demand of business users as well as provide the infrastructure for interactive computing and multi-media services to promote Hong Kong's competitiveness as an international business centre." he said.