Speech by Mr. Stephen Mak, Deputy Government Chief Information Officer, at the Mobile Business Conference 2007
16 - 04 - 2007

John (Mr. John Chiu), Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to join all of you at the Mobile Business Conference 2007 today. This Conference provides an opportunity for us to share knowledge and experience on the enhancement of business with the adoption of wireless and mobile technologies.

Hong Kong has developed an excellent information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure with almost ubiquitous mobile phone coverage over the whole territory. The number of mobile service subscribers in Hong Kong exceeded 9 million at end of 2006 with a penetration rate of 137%, which is one of the highest in the world.

The adoption of wireless & mobile services and technologies (WMST) in Hong Kong is getting more and more popular. Hong Kong people enjoy web surfing without cables. As of December 2006, there were about 30 licensees that provided public wireless LAN services at over 700 hotspot locations in Hong Kong. In fact, service providers are currently providing wireless Internet services to the general public in a number of locations such as airport, restaurants and coffee shops. To facilitate public access to the Internet, the HKSAR Government will install Wi-Fi facilities at major government premises with high public patronage in the coming years. These premises include all public libraries, key cultural and recreational centers, community halls, large parks and those government offices that are frequently visited by the public. According to our preliminary plan, our Wi-Fi Programme will cover more than 300 sites. Through this Wi-Fi initiative, we aim to create a wireless infrastructure to facilitate Internet access by citizens and businesses for enhancing quality of living and business operations as well as foster the development of the wireless and mobile industry.

To promote and facilitate the development of WMST in Hong Kong, the HKSAR Government has been adopting WMST progressively and over 50 bureaux/departments have deployed wireless and mobile applications. We have set up a Task Force on Facilitating the Adoption of Wireless and Mobile Services and Technology (FAWMST) comprising representatives from the industry, academia and the Government to identify matters of common interest among various sectors and resolve issues relating to WMST. The Task Force has published an action programme aimed at facilitating the wider adoption of WMST applications in both the Government and private sectors. Through the Task Force, the Government would work with the Hong Kong Wireless Development Centre and other industrial organizations to promote the adoption of wireless and mobile technology in the community.

All along, the HKSAR Government has been committed to promoting advanced technologies as set out in our Digital 21 Strategy. The Strategy is the blueprint for the development of information and communications technology (ICT) in Hong Kong. We completed the public consultation on the draft 2007 Digital 21 Strategy in December 2006. Taking into account opinions received from the public, we are finalising the Strategy and target to publish it within 2007. Our vision is to "Advancing our achievements and seizing new opportunities: Building on Hong Kong's position as a world digital city".

Over the years, ICT has been enhancing the competitiveness of Hong Kong as a leading digital city in the globally connected world. We need to continue riding on the wave and keep up the momentum and synergy. I hope that the Conference today will facilitate idea and experience exchanges that generate more co-operation and collaboration opportunities for our ICT industry and in the community at large.

Finally, I would like to thank the Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association (WTIA) for organizing the Mobile Business Conference. I wish the Conference every success and hope you enjoy the fruitful discussions.

Thank you.

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