New strategy for electronic service delivery endorsed
20 - 01 - 2005

A new strategy for the future delivery of e-government services, based on a service clustering and customer segmentation approach, was endorsed by the Digital 21 Strategy Advisory Committee at its meeting today (January 20).

Under the new strategy, the Government will group the related e-government services into a number of service clusters having regard to the specific needs of the individual customer segments. Where appropriate, the cluster will provide related commercial services in addition to e-government services so as to enhance the customer and commercial value of the clusters.

In order that the public can continue to access e-government services in different clusters conveniently, the Government will consider setting up a one-stop access portal with linkages to various service clusters as the public interface.

The technology architecture supporting the new business strategy will be based on open and interoperable standards that enable easy and secure interfacing within Government and with the private sector.

In the next few months, the Government will invite expression of interest in developing and operating the clusters.

Members also noted that slightly more than two weeks after the commencement of the implementation of the Mainland's computer information system integration (SI) qualification certification in Hong Kong, four local information technology (IT) companies have already submitted applications for the qualification certification.

As one of the liberalisation measures under the second phase of the Hong Kong and Mainland Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA II), Hong Kong IT service suppliers are eligible to apply for the SI qualification certification with effect from January 1, 2005 to enable them to supply SI services to Mainland government and commercial projects. There are four levels of SI qualification certification, with Level 1 being the highest level.

In recognition of the differences in the business environment and mode of operation between Hong Kong and Mainland companies, the Ministry of Information Industry (MII) of the Central People's Government agreed to implement a one-year transitional period, starting from 1 January 2005, for Hong Kong IT service suppliers. During the transitional period, some of the existing assessment criteria for SI Qualification Certification will be temporarily waived or relaxed.

Three of the four applicants companies have applied for Level 2 certification; while the other has applied for level 3/4 qualification. In addition, a number of companies have shown keen interest in applying for certification.

At today's meeting, members also discussed the progress made in the past year in implementing the 2004 Digital 21 Strategy, the blueprint for the IT development in Hong Kong, and the targets and action plan for 2005 and beyond. The latest 2004 Digital 21 Strategy was published in March 2004 and covers eight main action areas. The Government plans to publish the action plan for 2005 and beyond in February.

Members were also briefed on the results of the 2004 surveys on IT usage and penetration in the household and business sectors. The survey results showed that there was steady increase in the household penetration rate of personal computers (PC) and Internet connections. The percentage of households with PC at home increased from 67.5% in 2003 to 71.1% in 2004, while the percentage of households with Internet connection also climbed from 60% in 2003 to 65% in 2004. Results of the surveys have been published in December 2004.

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