TNAG-2148-FCO40-3067-Communication-systems-allocation-of-call-signs-to-Hong-Kong-1990 — Page 18

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FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HAMILTON

TELNO 168

OF 18163OZ OCTOBER 90

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22 00T 1990

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155005

MDHOAN 9580

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AND TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

INFO ROUTINE WELLINGTON, GRAND TURK UKREP JLG HONG KONG

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YOUR TELNO 135: ALLOCATION OF CALL SIGNS TO HONG KONG

1.

WE HAVE CHECKED EXTENSIVELY WITH DTI COLLEAGUES.

MR MIKE GODDARD AND MR MIKE DAVIES, BOTH OF WHOM HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUPERVISING THE RADIO COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY WHICH DEALS WITH CALL SIGNS, ATTENDED THE CONFERENCE IN NICE IN JUNE 1989 AS DID MR RICHARD WHITE OF THE FCO. BUT NONE CAN RECALL DISCUSSION OF THIS SUBJECT. IN ANY CASE, NO DTI REPRESENTATIVE WOULD HAVE HAD AUTHORITY TO SPEAK AS REPORTED IN PARA 2 OF TUR: ALTHOUGH PRELIMINARY SOUNDINGS HAD BEEN TAKEN, NO DECISION HAD BEEN MADE IN WHITEHALL AT THAT STAGE ABOUT THE WAY FORWARD. WE REGRET THAT THIS MISUNDERSTANDING HAS ARISEN. BUT FCO TELNO 1182 GRAND TURK REPRESENTED THE COLLECTIVE VIEW OF WHITEHALL DEPARTMENTS.

2.

WE HAVE LOOKED CAREFULLY AT THE POINTS MADE IN TUR AND YOUR SUGGESTION THAT WE SHOULD PURSUE ALLOCATION OF A NEW SERIES FOR HONG KONG'S EXCLUSIVE USE FROM THE ITU. THIS IS AN OPTION WE HAD ALREADY CONSIDERED IN DEPTH. THERE ARE TWO PROBLEMS. FIRSTLY, IT WOULD CAUSE MAXIMUM DISRUPTION TO HONG KONG: ALL/ALL EXISTING CALL SIGNS WOULD NEED TO BE CHANGED. SECONDLY, HONG KONG NEEDS TO HAVE EXCLUSIVE USE OF A CALL SIGN SERIES (THE CHINESE ARE LIKELY TO OBJECT IF HONG KONG CONTINUES TO SHARE A CALL SIGN SERIES WITH UK DEPENDENT TERRITORIES POST 1997). GIVEN THAT THE UK STILL HAS SPARE CAPACITY ON MANY CALL SIGNS ALREADY ALLOCATED BY THE ITU, THE ITU ARE UNLIKELY TO ALLOCATE ANOTHER TO US. THERE IS CONSIDERABLE PRESSURE FROM OTHER USERS.

3. WE HAVE ALSO LOOKED AT YOUR DIFFICULTIES WITH OUR PROPOSALS. THESE SEEM TO FALL INTO TWO CATEGORIES: THE DISRUPTION INVOLVED IN CHANGING ANY CALL SIGNS: AND THE POLITICAL DIFFICULTY WITH THE RADIO STATIONS IN CHANGING THE VS SERIES. THE LATTER APPEARS TO BE THE MORE SERIOUS PROBLEM.

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