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Dialogue to explore possible changes in Hong Kong Telecom
The Government and Hong Kong Telecom International (HKTI) are entering into a dialogue on the territory's international telecommunications sector.
A statement on the HKTI licence has been released by the Telecommunications Authority on April 23 to clarified the exclusivity held by HKTI under its licence which runs to September 30, 2006.
However, there are broader matters to consider.
The international telecommunications market is developing rapidly; this can be seen in the accelerated liberalisation of telecommunications around the world, the emergence of global alliances of telecom carriers and the increasing attention being given to telecommunications trade issues by the World Trade Organisation.
Furthermore, technological advance in telecommunications is continuing. Both these matters have led the Government and HKTI to agree to a dialogue on the existing arrangements for Hong Kong's international telecommunications sector and whether these are best suited to the continued development of the Government's policy objective of maintaining the territory as the pre-eminent telecommunications hub in the Asia-Pacific region.
A government spokesman said the Administration fully appreciates its obligations to HKTI conceming the boundaries that were developed in the 1981 licence and reaffirmed in the Telecommunication Authority's Statement of April 23. The Goverment has said it would only proceed in a further review of the HKTI licence with concurrence on the part of HKTI.
The aim of the dialogue was to explore what changes may be made to the existing arrangements, said the spokesman.
As the dialogue was just about to begin, it was too early to comment on whether any changes might be negotiated and jointly agreed, and whether such changes would require the negotiation of amendments to HKTT's licence, the spokesman added.
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