The Telecommunications Authority of Hong Kong said on Friday
they will release spectrum through a public auction in this year's
fourth quarter for the provision of a mobile service using the
CDMA2000 standard from November next year.
The subsidiary legislation will be tabled at the Legislative
Council to impose utilization fees on use of the spectrum and to
prescribe the method of determining the fee by auction.
CDMA2000 is one of the world's main mobile communications
standards. It can provide high-speed data services with data rates
comparable to Hong Kong's existing 3G services.
Mobile services based on the CDMA2000 standard are currently
provided in 85 countries or regions, including the Chinese
mainland, the United States, Republic of Korea and Japan.
According to the Telecommunications Authority, 325 million
subscribers are now using the CDMA2000 services worldwide, among
whom more than 30 million are in the Chinese mainland.
A new mobile service using the CDMA2000 standard will contribute
to the harmonization of popular mobile services with the Chinese
mainland as well as other parts of the world, strengthening Hong
Kong's strategic position as a world city and the gateway between
the Chinese mainland and the world, the authority said.
(Xinhua News Agency April 28, 2007)