CONFIDENTIAL
Specifically, in local telecommunications, Hong Kong has one of the highest penetration levels for exchange lines in the world higher than most advanced countries. Because of its modest local tariffs which are among the lowest anywhere Hong Kong also has one of the world's highest usage rates. Moreover, HKT offers a broad product choice. that compares favourably to its peers in the U.K., Japan, and Singapore.
Hong Kong's advanced stage of digitalization of its local telephone network - exceeding 80% as of July 1991 enables highly sophisticated service offerings to be more widely available to customers than is the case in most developed countries.
Internationally, Hong Kong has over 12,000 overseas circuits (more than any country in the region), as well as the best track record on system availability. Moreover, HKTI's charges for international switched traffic and for private leased circuits are among the lowest worldwide.
Recognising the increasing needs of business customers for faster speed and improved quality in international links, Hong Kong Telecom has been in the forefront of investing in optic fibre submarine cables. For example, two such cables connecting Hong Kong to Taiwan and Japan have been put into operation in the past year. Neither Singapore which is generally considered Hong Kong's closest competitor nor Australia has any international optic fibre connections.
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As a result, Hong Kong today can provide diverse fibre cable routing across the Pacific and fibre connection to the U.K. and Europe,
and Europe, whereas Singapore will not have a single trans-Pacific fibre connection until mid-1993 and will not offer diversity until 1995. Australia will not be able to provide similar capability until 1995, by which time Hong Kong will have three diverse cable routes to the U.S. and Europe.
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CONFIDENTIAL
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