XN000022-1975-07-28 — Page 2

MONDAY, JULY 20, 1975

DEMAND FOR TELEPHONE LINES SLOWS DOWN

LAST YEAR'S WAITING LIST REDUCED BY MORE THAN 50 PER CENT

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THE PERCENTAGE GROWTH RATE OF THE TELEPHONE NETWORK DURING 1974 'DECLINED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MANY YEARS AS A RESULT OF THE WORLD

ECONOMIC RECESSION WHICH AFFECTED HONG KONG.

THIS IS ONE OF THE OBSERVATLONS MADE IN THE 17TH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TELEPHONE SERVICES WHICH WAS SUBMITTED TO THE GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL LAST WEEK.

THE REPORT SAID THAT ALTHOUGH EXPANSION BY THE TELEPHONE COMPANY CONTINUED IN 1974, THE GROWTH RATE FOR WORKING DIRECT EXCHANGE LINES WAS 7.6 PER CENT JUST OVER HALF THAT OF 1973.

IN OVERALL FIGURES THIS MEANS THAT WORKING LINES INCREASED FROM 746,653 TO 803,144, ALTHOUGH IT REPRESENTED A DROP IN DEMAND FOR TELEPHONE SERVICES OF SOME 36 PER CENT AS COMPARED WITH 1973.

THE REPORT NOTES THAT WITH THE CHANGE IN POLICY IN MID-1974, THE TELEPHONE COMPANY MADE GREATER EFFORTS TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO VILLAGES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND ON OUTLYING ISLANDS. IN FACT, ANOTHER 16 VILLAGES WERE BROUGHT INTO THE NETWORK.

OVERALL PENETRATION OF TELEPHONE SERVICES INCREASED FROM 21.7 TELEPHONES (INCLUDING EXTENSIONS) PER 100 OF THE POPULATION IN 1973 TO 22.8 PER 100 IN 1974.

THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE COMMENDED THE TELEPHONE COMPANY FOR ITS SPECIAL EFFORTS IN MEETING DEMAND AND SAID THAT THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS ON THE WAITING LIST HAD DECREASED IN 1974 BY 54 PER CENT. AT THE END OF THE YEAR THE CUMULATIVE WAITING LIST STOOD AT 13,411.

+ IT IS ENCOURAGING TO NOTE THAT, WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF A SMALL NUMBER OF REMOTE AREAS, THE TELEPHONE COMPANY EXPECT TO BE ABLE IN 1975 TO CLEAR ALL OUTSTANDING APPLICATIONS REGISTERED TO THE END OF 1974,+ THE REPORT SAYS.

THE COMMITTEE ALSO NOTED THAT THE COMPANY HAS BEEN PROVIDING +GENERALLY A SATISFACTORY TELEPHONE SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC+. THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS RECEIVED BY THE ACTS IN 1974 DECREASED BY 38 PER CENT OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR WITH THE COMPLAINTS AND SUGGESTIONS SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE ACTS DEALING WITH A TOTAL OF 34 COMPLAINTS COMPARED WITH 55 IN 1973:

/THE REPORT

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