ENG-2010 — Page 424

358 | Communications, the Media and Information Technology

Code on Access to Information

As an open and accountable Government, all government bureaux and departments are committed to making information available to the public in accordance with the Code on Access to Information. The code specifies the types of government information the public may have access to. Disclosure may be refused on grounds of the confidential and sensitive nature of the information to ensure appropriate protection of such information. The public may complain to The Ombudsman if government bureaux and departments do not respond to requests for information in accordance with the code.

Telecommunications

The Government's telecommunications policy is to facilitate the development of the telecommunications industry and enhance Hong Kong's position as the region's

telecommunications hub.

The Telecommunications Authority (TA) is appointed by the Chief Executive to perform functions and exercise powers under the Telecommunications Ordinance and the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Ordinance (UEM Ordinance). The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA)

is the executive arm of the TA. It oversees the regulation of the telecommunications industry in Hong Kong, advises the Government on telecommunications matters and enforces the relevant provisions set out under the above-mentioned ordinances.

Mobile Communications Services

Hong Kong's mobile communications market continues to flourish. Five operators run a total of 14 digital systems in the city, providing second generation (2G) and third generation (3G) services. By December 2010, there were over 13.4 million subscribers to mobile communications services. This represents a population penetration of 189 per cent, one of the highest in the world. The number of 3G users also continues to rise. By December 2010, the four 3G operators had a combined total of 5.3 million customers.

Local mobile data services are available at speeds of up to 21 Mbps and 42Mbps using high-speed packet access (HSPA) and the newly evolved high speed packet access (HSPA+) technologies respectively.

With the increasing popularity of smart phones, mobile data usage surged to 1 847 Terabytes (1 846 764 Gigabytes) in December 2010, or an average of 296 Mbytes per 2.5G/3G mobile user. This represents 2.9 times and 13.9 times the usage over the same period in 2009 and 2008 respectively.

In November 2010, one operator announced the commercial launch of its broadband wireless access (BWA) service network. Using the next generation Long Term Evolution technology, this network supports mobile broadband data services. with speeds much higher than those which can be offered by HSPA+ technologies.

To meet further the booming demand for mobile data services and to sustain the momentum of market growth, the OFTA will make available additional radio