ENG-2005 — Page 432

374 Communications, the Media and Information Technology

overseas companies specialising in IT applications, information services and multimedia content creation.

Cyberport is becoming one of the major venues for IT and digital entertainment- related conferences in Hong Kong and Asia. By year-end, 442 events had been held at Cyberport, with about 76 361 participants taking part. These included 237 regional and local conferences, 86 product launching ceremonies, exhibitions and entertainment events. The second Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum, the second Cyberport Venture Capital Forum and the first Cyberport Games Marathon were among the more prominent events held in 2005.

Cyberport also contributes to technological development in Hong Kong and provides the necessary infrastructure and technical support for SMEs. The Digital Entertainment Industry Support Centre was opened in May to provide a one-stop support service to help local SMEs make use of the resources available from the Government, industry and academic institutions. The Hong Kong Wireless Development Centre, opened in December 2003, launched the 3G Cyberport project in October 2004 to support the development of local 3G applications, provide training for developers and promote 3G applications to the public. Such services, together with other facilities in the Cyberport such as the Digital Media Centre and the iResource Centre, provide vital support for the continuous development of the local ICT industries, including the digital entertainment and wireless application development industries. It is particularly important for SMEs that cannot afford the initial investment in expensive equipment and lack access to useful resources and business information.

Telecommunications

The Government's telecommunications policy aims to facilitate the development of the telecommunications industry and enhance Hong Kong's position as an international telecommunications hub.

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) is the executive arm of the Telecommunications

Telecommunications Authority. It oversees the regulation of the telecommunications industry in Hong Kong and administers the ordinances governing the establishment and operation of telecommunications services.

local

The Government opened all sectors of the telecommunications market and external, services-based and facilities-based to competition in 2003. There are sector-specific competition provisions in the Telecommunications Ordinance to ensure that there is fair and effective competition in the telecommunications market.

Entering the Era of Convergence

Traditional stand-alone voice networks, data networks and broadcasting networks are progressively migrating to the Next Generation Networks (NGNs), which support all forms of communications. This converged mode of transmission enhances the efficiency of network operation, lowers costs and facilitates the quick introduction of innovative services to the market. Such a development also brings about the need for OFTA to review and update the regulatory regime. OFTA's