XN000022-1986-02-17 — Page 4

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1986

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CORDLESS PHONES FOR HOMES SEEN IN A YEAR

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CORDLESS TELEPHONES MIGHT BE AVAILABLE FOR DOMESTIC USE IN HONG KONG IN ABOUT A YEAR'S TIME, THE ACTING POSTMASTER GENERAL, MR DAVID LAN, SAID TODAY.

SPEAKING AT A DINNER MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF NEW TERRITORIES, MR LAN SAID HONG KONG-MADE CORDLESS TELEPHONES WERE PROHIBITED FROM USE BECAUSE THEY WERE MAINLY DESIGNED FOR OVERSEA MARKETS AND OPERATED ON FREQUENCIES IN THE 49 MH2 BAND WHICH INTERFERED WITH POLICE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS.

THE POST OFFICE HAD RECENTLY IDENTIFIED A TYPE OF CORDLESS TELEPHONE USING 47 MHZ BAND WHICH WAS SUITABLE FOR HONG KONG, HE SAID.

DETAILS ON SPECIFICATION OF THE EQUIPMENT AND HOW THEY WERE TO BE CONTROLLED HAD NOT BEEN FINALISED, BUT IT WAS HOPED THAT A PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT COULD BE MADE IN ABOUT SIX MONTHS' TIME, WITH AN IMPLEMENTATION DATE LATER IN THE YEAR OR EARLY NEXT YEAR, HE SAID.

MR LAN ALSO SAID THE POST OFFICE HAD RECENTLY COMPLETED PLANS TO IMPROVE FM AS WELL AS TELEVISION RECEPTION IN HONG KONG.

UNDER THE FM IMPROVEMENT PLAN NOW BEING IMPLEMENTED, HONG KONG PEOPLE WOULD BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR, BE ABLE TO GET EXCELLENT RECEPTION OF FM SIGNALS FROM BOTH RTHK AND COMMERCIAL RADIO VIRTUALLY EVERYWHERE IN HONG KONG.

AS FOR TELEVISION RECEPTION, A TRANSPOSER WAS BEING BUILT TO IMPROVE TV RECEPTION IN SHA TAU KOK AND NORTH-EAST FANL ING. THIS WOULD BE OPERATIONAL IN THREE MONTHS.

ANOTHER ONE WAS EXPECTED TO BE OPERATIONAL IN SOUTH LANTAU NEXT YEAR, MR LAN SAID.

IT HAD BEEN DECIDED THAT ALL COMMUNITIES OF MORE THAN 6 000 INHABITANTS WOULD HAVE TO BE SERVED BY A TELEVISION TRANSPOSER.

MEANWHILE, THE POST OFFICE CONTINUED TO MAINTAIN ITS HIGH STANDARD OF SERVICE AND TO LOOK FOR IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE FUTURE.

THE POST OFFICE PROCESSED 1.55 MILLION LETTERS AND PARCELS EVERYDAY, AND THE TRAFFIC WAS GROWING AT AN ANNUAL RATE OF EIGHT TO 10 PER CENT.

HE ALSO SAID THAT:

NINETY-EIGHT PER