TELECOMS
License scheme aims to boost broadband access
Apr 17 2001 12:40PM
BEN KWOK
The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (Ofta) will introduce a license scheme for new buildings in an attempt to encourage the development of broadband Internet access.
Developments meeting criteria set by Ofta -- the industry regulator -- will be eligible to be licensed as "intelligent buildings".
To do this they will have to offer open access to telecoms and television service providers.
Property companies' reluctance to grant access to communications providers has hindered the spread of broadband access in Hong Kong.
Widespread access to such cutting-edge services is crucial if the SAR is to meet its ambition of becoming a regional communications and technology hub.
Property companies are often keen to trumpet their developments as "intelligent buildings", -- meaning they have advanced communications infrastructure.
Director-General of Telecommunications Anthony Wong Sik-kei said the Ofta license would provide a standard test of what constituted an intelligent building, in the hope of increasing broadband market penetration.
"The new concept will take the design of the [building's] converged telecoms system into consideration along with the usual water, power and gas set-up," Mr Wong said.
The building's infrastructure should also integrate well with broadband and pay-television access.
Details of the scheme are expected to be released within the next few months.
"Broadband take-up is somewhat slower than we expected," Mr Wong said.
"The difficulty in getting access to buildings is the reason."
Residential projects frequently claim to have built-in telecoms and pay-television access, but fail to provide open access.
Wireless fixed operators, such as City Telecom subsidiary Hong Kong Broadband Network, have complained of being asked for hefty entry fees by property management companies.
Mr Wong stressed that accessibility was a worldwide issue common to almost all major cities and therefore could not be solved in just a few months.
Ofta will launch a publicity campaign urging property management companies to open their buildings.
A special Ofta task force had accompanied various operators in talks with companies managing about 1,000 private and public housing blocks.
Greater home access to broadband services would facilitate the launch of Internet protocol (IP) telephony, Mr Wong said. IP telephony can add video streaming and data transmission to traditional fixed-line voice services.
Mr Wong, chairman of the third ITU World Telecommunication Policy Forum, said IP telephony was an emerging and unstoppable trend in voice communications.
Firms such as US networking giant Cisco Systems already use IP phones internally.
Copyright © 2001 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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