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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, November 29, 2001

Hong Kong Issues License for Mobile Virtual Services

Hong Kong Office of Telecommunications Authority Thursday started to issue public non-exclusive telecom licenses to provide mobile virtual network operator services, marking a new round of competitions in the local telecom market.


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Hong Kong Office of Telecommunications Authority Thursday started to issue public non-exclusive telecom licenses to provide mobile virtual network operator services, marking a new round of competitions in the local telecom market.

In his telephone interview with Xinhua, Anthony Wong, director-general of telecommunications authority, said that it is an important step to further open the telecom market by allowing companies without their own networks to participate in operations of local mobile telecom services.

China Motion Telecom International Limited, one of Hong Kong's major telecom service providers, was the first licensed company for mobile virtual network operator services. It can provide various kinds of mobile services with its own infrastructure, including switching, billing and database.

Co-operated with host network operators, the company will provide services ranging from mobile telephone services, short messaging and external telecom services, to information and entertainment, WAP, mobile Internet and m-commerce, said Tony Ho, China Motion's chairman and managing director.

According to the authority's obligations on open network access,Hong Kong's licenced 3G network operators have to open 30 percent of their network capacity to "non-affliated" service providers, including mobile virtual network operators.

Hong Kong is ranking the first in mobile telephone penetration,with a total of over 5 million mobile phone users among its total population of 7 million. Of the six licensed 2G mobile network operators in Hong Kong, four are licensed 3G mobile network operators.










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