TRADING FUND REPORT 2023/24
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.
In 2023/24, OFCA attended a total of 13 conferences and meetings hosted by international and regional organisations, including ITU, APT, and International Institute of Communications (IIC). The more notable events of the year included the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2023, the Global System for Mobile Communications Association Mobile World Congress Shanghai, the 16th Session of the General Assembly of APT and the IIC International Regulators' Forum. 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.
The Director-General of Communications, Mr Chaucer Leung, was invited to speak at the International Regulators' Forum organised by the International Institute of Communications held in October 2023 in Cologne, Germany.
OFCA regularly shares and exchanges views on various issues in relation to communications services with regulatory bodies in other jurisdictions. During the year, OFCA attended meetings with the Mainland authorities, including the Yunnan Radio and Television Bureau, the Bureau of Radio Regulation of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Radio and Television Administration as well as attended Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement meetings to discuss relevant liberalisation measures with the Mainland counterparts. OFCA also hosted bilateral meetings with the Infocomm 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 attends the Plenary Meetings of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Expert Group on Cooperation in Informatisation regularly.
OFCA and the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore held a bilateral meeting in Hong Kong on 27 June 2023.
OFCA and the Guangdong Communications Administration held a bilateral meeting in Hong Kong on 19 September 2023.
OFCA met with the delegation of Yunnan Radio and Television Bureau on 15 November 2023 to exchange issues relating to the broadcasting regulatory regime.
OFCA and the Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau held a bilateral meeting in Hong Kong on 17 January 2024.
OFCA proactively keeps the public and the media informed of its work. In 2023/24, OFCA issued 27 press releases on CA’s major decisions in relation to broadcasting and telecommunications regulatory issues, updates on OFCA’s major initiatives, operations and events. Presentations and press briefings made by the Director-General of Communications were also published on our website. OFCA has also maintained its presence on social media and updates its Facebook account from time to time. 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.
OFCA shared the achievements in the past year and work plan in 2024 at a tea gathering with the media in January 2024.
In 2023/24, OFCA gave seven talks on broadcasting services in Hong Kong to local students of primary and secondary schools and four 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 audience could make informed viewing choices. The participants of CIBS were briefed on the programme standards of sound broadcasting services.
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 by giving a talk entitled “5G Makes the Impossible Possible” on 19 August 2023 at the Hong Kong Science Museum. At the talk, OFCA introduced the latest development of 5G in Hong Kong and shared some of the latest 5G applications in our daily lives and in some specific sectors.
OFCA gave a talk on “5G Makes the Impossible Possible” at the “Science in the Public Service” Lecture Series.
OFCA also participated in the “Mountaineering Safety Promotion Day” jointly organised by the Civil Aid Service and other government departments and organisations on 22 October 2023. An exhibition booth was set up at the event to promote effective use of communications means in country parks.
OFCA participated in the "Mountaineering Safety Promotion Day" to help promote hiking safety messages.
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 innovative solutions with the use of advanced technology, 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 (HKPC) in 2023. The Competition received a total of 33 submissions from 29 secondary schools. An award presentation ceremony was held on 9 December 2023 to announce the list of winners.
The winning teams and guests of the “5G Campus Application Competition” attended the Competition’s Award Presentation on 9 December 2023.
OFCA conducting a training workshop to assist the participating teams of the 5G Campus Application Competition to realise their conceptual ideas into actual products.
In view of the overwhelming responses to the Competition, OFCA launched another round of the Competition under the theme “5G x AI – Smart Living and Learning Anytime Anywhere” in April 2024. The Competition, co-organised by HKPC, consists of several stages, comprising training workshops, first round assessment and final round assessment cum award presentation ceremony scheduled for November 2024.
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 the 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 2024 can be found in Appendix B.
The purpose of the Television and Radio Consultative Scheme is to solicit qualitative input on television and radio programming to CA’s public consultation process. Members are drawn from all 18 districts of the territory.