Hong Kong: Top consumer chief questions agenda to expand 3G services

Hong Kong’s Consumer Council chief executive questioned plans to expand Hong Kong’s 3G market by splitting services to allow for a new market entrant, say reports.

Gilly Wong Fung-han spoke to reporters in her first public comment on the matter to raise concerns about differing government predictions on the effects of such plans. According to reports, Wong says the contradictory predictions are concerning; wireless operators predict a 27 percent degradation in mobile services, while the government predicts only a 9 percent degradation.

Wong’s remarks came as Hong Kong’s Office of the Communications Authority plans to decide by the end of October whether the market needs a fifth entrant to compete against HKT, SmarTone, CSL and 3 Hong Kong.

State owned China Mobile has expressed interest in acquiring a license to operate in the 3G and 4G market in Hong Kong, according to reports.

But according to Wong, a fifth competitor may be detrimental to consumers with the threat of network disruption.

Full Content: South China Morning Post

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