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"After consultation with the Chinese side, the new licence has been approved by the Executive Council and is now specified in the Telecommunication Regulations.

"The completion of the gazetting procedure means that the licences can now be formally offered to the four companies by the Telecommunications Authority, enabling the new entrants to put in place their new networks and offer services to the public.

"We expect competition in local fixed network telephone services to lead to lower prices and a wider range of service offerings," the spokesman said.

Following the Government's decision to liberalise local telephone services when Hong Kong Telephone Company's franchise expires on June 30 this year, three new entrants, Hutchison Communications, New T & T Hong Kong, and New World Telephone, were selected to provide local fixed network telecom services in competition with Hong Kong Telephone.

The Chinese side have recently confirmed their endorsement of the grant of the four licences which are valid for 15 years and renewable for another 15 years, straddling 1997.

End/Friday, April 7, 1995

Govt to expand elderly services actively

To cater for the ageing population in Hong Kong, the Government has been actively improving the quality and quantity of elderly services in the past few years, the Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, said.

Officiating at the opening ceremony of SAGE Madam Ho Sin Hang Home for the Elderly today (Friday), Mrs Chan said the Working Group on Care for the Elderly appointed by the Governor put forward 71 proposals for the improvement of elderly services in its report in August last year.

"In accordance with one of the proposals, the Health and Welfare Branch established the Elderly Services Division to co-ordinate and monitor various elderly service policies so that other proposals in the report can be implemented more effectively," she said.