COMMUNICATIONS
deep sea cables linked to the Company's world wide network of 150,000 miles of submarine cables and their 14 direct high speed wireless telegraph circuits working with other centres in the Far East and beyond.
The overseas radiotelephone services, worked in collaboration with the Hong Kong Telephone Com- pany Limited, continued to expand, and during 1954, new services were opened to Seoul, South Korea and Bombay. In addition, services have been extended to Puerto Rico and Alaska via Oakland, California. Links are also provided between Syney and Tokyo, Sydney and Taipeh, Singapore and Macau, Singapore and Manila, Oakland and Bangkok, and Oakland and Macau. Up to ten radiotelephone services can be handled simultaneously to bring twenty people, separated by thousands of miles, in direct conversation. On some days over 1,800 paid minutes of overs radio- telephone calls are handled. In addition to this the V.H.F. circuits to the Chinese mainland and Macau occupy a further 2,000 paid minutes daily.
The short range ship/shore radiotelephone service, through which ships at sea can be connected to sub- scribers on the Hong Kong Telephone Exchange, is growing in popularity. Excellent results have been obtained, as far away as 300 miles from Hong Kong, and it is hoped to be able to extend the range to beyond 500 miles.
The Company's new "Harborphone" scheme is in full operation, and facilities are available for any ship moored within the harbour to be fitted with a V.H.F. radiotelephone installation on hire, giving direct con- nexion between ship and ship or from ship to any
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