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Call-back service providers may be regarded as merely providing access through the local network to the HKTI system from either or both ends but they are not carrying the telephone calls from the international gateway in Hong Kong to the overseas international gateway, or vice-versa. Indeed that carriage is the essence of the external public telephone service contemplated by the licence.

TA's FORMAL VIEW

1 conclude that call-back operators are not providing an external public telephone service to subscribers to the Public Switched Telephone Network in violation of item (e) of the First Schedule to HKTI's licence. Call-back operators merely provide a method of access to that service. Further such access does not infringe any other element of HKTI's licence. I reject HKTI's assertion of breach of its licence and I conclude that call-back services may continue to be provided competitively.

End/Thursday, March 30, 1995

1.29 million employees' information for voter registration in new FCs received

Information on more than 1.29 million employecs for the voter registration in the nine new functional constituencies, or 45 per cent of the estimated total workforce. was received by the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) as at yesterday (March 29).

These returns, which cover the employers' main line of business and the names and identity card numbers of their employees, were provided by 138,000 employers in response to the request by the REO for information.

A spokesman for the REO today (Thursday) said that so far the response from employers was reasonably good.

He urged those who has not responded to the REO's request to reply as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, staff of the Home Affairs Department are conducting follow-up visits to collect employees' information from those employers who have not yet responded.