ENG-2011 — Page 426

366 | Communications, the Media and Information Technology

Fixed Broadband Services

Hong Kong has one of the world's most advanced fixed broadband network infrastructures and a high household fixed broadband penetration rate of 86.6 per

cent.

Hong Kong is also a world leader in fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and fibre-to-the- building (FTTB) coverage, according to the global ranking published in 2011 by the Fibre-to-the-Home Councils of the Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America. The OFTA launched a voluntary registration scheme for FTTB and FTTH residential buildings in November 2010. As at December 2011, the scheme's database had recorded over 11 400 FTTB or FTTH buildings in Hong Kong, indicating that more than 80 per cent of all households in Hong Kong have access to FTTB or FTTH network(s).

Hong Kong's fixed broadband services are inexpensive they are offered at a monthly rate as low as $99, or less than US$13 for broadband internet access service at a speed of 100 Mbps.

Hong Kong is also at the forefront in the provision of public Wi-Fi service. At the end of the year, Hong Kong had 9 173 Wi-Fi hot spots in about 5 078 locations across the territory.

Mobile TV Services

The frequency spectrum in the 678 - 686 MHz band for providing broadcast- type mobile TV was auctioned in June 2010. The licensee is required to allot at least 75 per cent of the transmission capacity to mobile TV to serve at least 50 per cent of Hong Kong's population by February 2012. It is expected that the new service will offer a wider choice of high quality TV programmes and strengthen Hong Kong's status as a world-class wireless city.

Migration to the Next Generation Network

The Next Generation Network (NGN) enables seamless delivery of a packet of communication services, which include voice telephony, data, and video from a single platform. With the rapid development of advanced technologies and the increasing convergence of telecommunications and broadcasting, operators are now offering feature-rich triple and quadruple play products through an assortment of fixed and mobile telephony services, broadband internet access (wireline and Wi-Fi) and Internet Protocol-based TV (IPTV).

The Government introduced in 2008 a Unified Carrier Licence (UCL), a streamlined and flexible single licence that allows operators to run fixed, mobile and converged services at a time when distinctions between fixed and mobile networks have become blurred.

To facilitate the industry's smooth migration to NGN, OFTA formed a working group in 2009 to discuss with stakeholders issues relating to NGN. In May 2011, OFTA commissioned a consultancy study on the implications of NGN on the telecommunications regulatory framework in Hong Kong to ensure that the regulatory regime remains updated and appropriate in the NGN environment.