XN000022-1993-04-20 — Page 2

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TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1993

TELECOMMUNICATIONS AUTHORITY ISSUES CONSULTATIVE PAPER ON HK'S NUMBERING PLAN

THE

TELECOMMUNICATIONS AUTHORITY WILL TOMORROW INVITING INTERESTED PARTIES

ISSUE A CONSULTATIVE PAPER

(WEDNESDAY}

TO PRESENT

VIEWS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG'S NUMBERING PLAN FOR PUBLTC TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES.

AUTHORITY, NUMBERING PLAN WAS BASED ON

POSTMASTER GENERAL

MR M

PAGLIARI, SAID:

"THE

AND EXISTING

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

SEVEN-DIGIT NUMBER LENGTH.

DEMAND FOR TELECOMMUNICATION

DUE TO THE RAPID GROWTH IN SERVICES OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, THE EXISTING NUMBERING PLAN IS NOW CLOSE TO CAPACITY.

"

INTRODUCE MR PAGLIARI

"TO COPE WITH EXPECTED FUTURE DEMAND WE WILL NEED TO AN EIGHT-DIGIT NUMBERING PLAN BY 1995 AT THE LATEST, SAID.

HE SAID THE NUMBERING PLAN HAD TO BE FLEXIBLE ENOUGH то CATER FOR NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND SERVICES WITHOUT THE NEED FOR FURTHER CHANGES FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, AT LEAST 15 YEARS.

"IT SHOULD ALSO PROVIDE FOR A FAIR AND REASONABLE ALLOCATION OF NUMBERS TO ALI. THE PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATION OPERATORS PROVIDING TELEPHONIC AND NON-TELEPHONIC SERVICES IN HONG KONG,"

LATE LAST YEAR, THE GOVERNMENT COMMISSIONED THE CONSULTANTS, OVUM, TO STUDY THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NUMBERING PLAN. A REPORT WAS SUBMITTED LAST MONTH.

"WE HAVE CONSIDERED OVUM'S RECOMMENDATIONS AND OUR INITIAL VIEW IS THAT THEY CHART A SENSIBLE WAY FORWARD TO AN EQUITABLE EIGHT- DIGIT NUMBERING SCHEME."

THE KEY RECOMMENDATIONS ARE THAT SHOULD BE FULLY INTEGRATED, THAT IS THAT

SAME FROM THE

POOL OF NUMBERS RATHER DIFFERENT OPENING DIGITS.

THAN

HONG KONG'S NUMBERING PLAN ALL OPERATORS SHOULD DRAW BEING SEGREGATED BY

"AND THAT NUMBER PORTABILITY, THAT IS THE ABILITY TO TAKE YOUR NUMBER WITH YOU WHEN YOU MOVE HOUSE OR NETWORK, SHOULD BE MANDATED.

"BEFORE TAKING FIRM DECISIONS ON THESE AND OTHER POINTS WE WISH TO SOUND OUT THE INDUSTRY AND THE PUBLIC ON THE FEASIBILITY AND DESIRABILITY OF OVUM'S RECOMMENDATIONS, MR PAGLIARI SAID.

COPIES OF THE CONSULTATIVE

IT

PAPER (INCLUDING THE EXECUTIVE

SUMMARY OF THE OVUM'S REPORT) MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS BRANCH, FIFTH FLOOR, WING SHAN TOWER, 173 DES VOEUX ROAD CENTRAL, HONG KONG.

/COPIES OF