OFCA puts strong emphasis on engaging the community and maintains close ties with international organisations on industry development and regulatory matters.
OFCA actively participates in the activities of and maintains close contact with a number of international and regional organisations, either as part of the Chinese delegation or as an individual member of those organisations.
OFCA attends international meetings from time to time to exchange views and experience on regulatory matters with its counterparts.
In 2022/23, OFCA attended a total of 16 conferences and meetings hosted by international and regional organisations in physical or virtual format, including the ITU, APT, and International Institute of Communications (IIC). The more notable events of the year included the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference and the Global System for Mobile Communications Association Mobile World Congress 2023. OFCA will continue to participate in the activities held by international and regional organisations with the aim of exchanging views on international best practices in regulating the evolving communications sector as well as promoting Hong Kong’s position as the pre-eminent hub for telecommunications and information infrastructures in the Asia Pacific region.
OFCA and the Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau held an online bilateral meeting on 24 November 2022.
OFCA regularly shares and exchanges views on various issues in relation to communications services with its counterparts. During the year, OFCA attended online meetings with the Mainland authorities, including Bureau of Radio Regulation of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Radio and Television Administration. OFCA also participated in online bilateral meetings with the Info-communications Media Development Authority of Singapore, the Guangdong Communications Administration of the Mainland and the Post and Telecommunications Bureau of Macao. To strengthen the co-operation in the development of the information industry between Guangdong and Hong Kong, OFCA also attended the Plenary Meetings of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Expert Group on Co-operation in Informatisation regularly.
OFCA has been working closely with the Police to disseminate latest information to the public through media.
OFCA proactively keeps the public and the media informed of its work. In 2022/23, OFCA issued 18 press releases on the CA’s major decisions in relation to broadcasting and telecommunications regulatory issues and OFCA’s major initiatives, operations and events. Speeches made by the Director-General of Communications at public events and industry conferences were also published on our website. These measures help disseminate messages from OFCA and the Government to both the industry and the public, enabling them to gain a better understanding of our work.
In 2022/23, OFCA gave 12 talks on broadcasting services in Hong Kong to local students of primary and secondary schools and two online talks to participants of the Community Involvement Broadcasting Service (CIBS). Students were introduced to the different categories of television programme services in Hong Kong and how audiences could make informed viewing choices. The participants of CIBS were briefed on the programme standards of sound broadcasting services.
OFCA gives talks on broadcasting services in Hong Kong to local students of primary schools and secondary schools from time to time.
OFCA continued to participate in the annual “Science in the Public Service” Lecture Series jointly organised by the Hong Kong Observatory and over 50 government bureaux and departments and public bodies. In order to introduce some common radiocommunications apparatus which are exempted from licensing or covered by Class Licences and provide tips on choosing and using radiocommunications apparatus which meet the prescribed specifications, OFCA delivered a talk titled “Use and Management of Radiocommunications Apparatus in Hong Kong” on 18 November 2022 at the Hong Kong Science Museum.
This year, OFCA continues to participate in the lecture series of the “Science in the Public Service”, a campaign jointly organised by the Hong Kong Observatory and other government bureaux / departments and public bodies.
OFCA also participated in the “Mountaineering Safety Promotion Day” jointly organised by the Civil Aid Service and other government departments and organisations on 23 October 2022. A talk on hiking safety was delivered to the participants to promote effective means of communication in country parks.
OFCA participates in the“25th Anniversary of the Establishment of HKSAR cum Mountain Safety Promotion Day” to help promote hiking safety messages.
Director-General of Communications, Mr Chaucer LEUNG (left), and Chief Innovation Officer of the Hong Kong Productivity Council, Dr Lawrence CHEUNG (right), officiated the kick-off ceremony of the “5G Campus Application Competition”.
With an aim to enhance Hong Kong secondary school students’ understanding of the enormous potentials of 5G technology and its extensive innovative applications, as well as to encourage their active participation in the development of advanced technology and innovative industries, OFCA organised a 5G Campus Application Competition (the Competition) with the theme of “5G Campus for Smart Life” in collaboration with the Hong Kong Productivity Council. Officially launched with a kick-off seminar on 20 May 2023, the Competition is open to all secondary students to participate on a team basis. The Competition will be held in stages, comprising training workshops, initial round assessment, final round assessment and an award presentation ceremony to be held in December 2023.
OFCA organised the “5G Campus Application Competition” (the Competition) with the theme of “5G Campus for Smart Life” in collaboration with the Hong Kong Productivity Council, the co-organiser of the Competition.
To solicit advice on the formulation and implementation of various telecommunications regulatory measures and policies, three advisory committees, namely the Telecommunications Regulatory Affairs Advisory Committee, the Radio Spectrum and Technical Standards Advisory Committee and the Telecommunications Users and Consumers Advisory Committee, were formed under OFCA in June 2012. These committees hold regular meetings and provide a forum for exchange of ideas for the industry, telecommunications service users and interested parties on issues of concerns.
Members of the advisory committees, appointed on two-year terms, are drawn from different sectors of the telecommunications industry, relevant government departments and non-governmental organisations as well as the general public. This helps provide a balanced representation of views on issues that are at times highly technical and complex.
The membership lists of the three advisory committees as of 31 March 2023 can be found in Appendix B.
The purpose of the Television and Radio Consultative Scheme is to provide qualitative input on television and radio programming to the CA’s public consultation process. Members are drawn from all 18 districts of the territory.