XN000022-1976-05-10 — Page 4

MONDAY, MAY 10, 1976

ACTS REPORT FOR 1975 PUBLISHED

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THE NUMBER OF WORKING TELEPHONES IN HONG KONG REACHED THE ONE MILLION MARK IN 1975. THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 1,033,735 TELEPHONES IN USE WHEN THE YEAR ENDED.

REPORTING THIS IN ITS 18TH PERIODICAL REPORT COVERING THE

YEAR 1975, WHICH WAS SUBMITTED TO THE GOVERNOR TOWARDS THE END OF LAST MONTH, THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TELEPHONE SERVICES (ACTS) SAID THAT THE INCREASE REPRESENTED A NET GAIN OF 45,190 TELEPHONES OR 4.6 PER CENT OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR, DESPITE THE FACT THAT NO NEW EXCHANGES WERE ADDED DURING THE YEAR.

THERE WERE 75,081 APPLICATIONS FOR TELEPHONES A DROP OF 7.4 PER CENT AS COMPARED WITH 1974 - OF WHICH 73,427 WERE PROVIDED WITH SERVICE.

THE ACTS REPORTED THAT THE AVERAGE WAITING TIME BETWEEN THE RECEIPT OF AN APPLICATION AND THE PROVISION OF TELEPHONE SERVICE HAS BEEN SHORTENED AS A RESULT OF IMPROVED EFFICIENCY ON THE PART OF THE TELEPHONE COMPANY, PRESENTLY THE WAITING PERIOD IS USUALLY 5 DAYS.+

THE PROGRESS OF DEVELOPMENT OF TELEPHONE SERVICES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WAS REGULARLY REVIEWED BY THE ACTS SUB-COMMITTEE ON DEVELOPMENT OF TELEPHONE SERVICES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.

THE REPORT NOTED THAT THE TELEPHONE COMPANY HAD BEEN MAKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR PROVIDING TELEPHONE SERVICE TO AREAS WHERE THERE WAS A FORECAST OF REASONABLE DEMAND.+ DURING 1975 NINE MORE VILLAGES

IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND ON THE OUTLYING ISLANDS WERE PROVIDED WITH TELEPHONE SERVICE.

THERE WAS VIRTUALLY NO WAITING LIST FOR THE URBAN AREAS, AND MOST OF THOSE WAITING FOR SERVICE WERE LOCATED IN THE REMOTE AREAS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND ON THE OUTLYING ISLANDS.

AT THE END OF 1975, THE CUMULATIVE WAITING LIST (INCLUDING OUTSTANDING APPLICATIONS FOR REMOVAL) STOOD AT 3,578 WHICH, THE REPORT SAID, +REPRESENTS A GREAT IMPROVEMENT ON THE FIGURE OF 13,411 IN 1974.+

THE NEW LINE WAITING LIST WAS ALSO SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED FROM 10,668 IN 1974 TO 3,116 IN 1975.

THE ACTS COMMENDED THE TELEPHONE COMPANY FOR ITS CONTINUED EFFORTS MADE IN THIS REGARD. THE COMPANY HOPES TO CLEAR UP THE BACKLOG OF DEMAND BY THE END OF THIS YEAR OR EARLY NEXT YEAR.

OVERALL PENETRATION OF TELEPHONE SERVICE INCREASED FROM 22.8 TELEPHONES (INCLUDING EXTENSIONS) PER 100 POPULATION IN 1974 TO 23.6 PER 100 IN 1975.

/THE REPORT