"Best Asian Regulator" awarded to HK telecom authority
( 2003-06-18 10:11) (Xinhua)
The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) of Hong Kong has again
won the title of "Best Asian Regulator" this year at its 10th anniversary, the
fifth time since 1998, according to a government press release Tuesday.
The Award Presentation Ceremony cum Gala Dinner was held Tuesday in
Singapore. Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore Rex
Chang attended the ceremony and received the award on OFTA's behalf.
"Best Asian Regulator" is among the 11 awards of the Telecom Asia Awards 2003
presented by the Telecom Asia, the longest- running industry publishing group
with readers in 12 markets in Asia, to leading telecommunications carriers,
regulators and executives, said the release.
Formerly known as the Readers' Choice Awards, this is the first year that the
winners were selected by an industry expert judging panel instead of by the
voting of the readers of the Telecom Asia. The seven-member judging panel
comprises representatives of major regional industry groups, such as the
International Telecommunications Users' Group (INTUG) and the Cable &
Satellite Broadcasters' Association of Asia (CASBAA), as well as professionals
in the telecommunications industry of Asia. Winners were chosen on the
combination of financial and operational metrics plus the judging panel's own
performance assessments, according to the press release.
The award "is especially meaningful to OFTA when we are approaching our tenth
anniversary when the full liberalization of the local telecommunications service
market has been completed," said Anthony Wong, director-general of
Telecommunications.
He added that "with the full liberalization of the telecommunications service
market, members of the public are now able to enjoy much wider service choices
at competitive prices. However, inevitably, we are also facing many more
challenges in the regulation of a highly competitive market, in particular under
the current economic climate. But no matter how tough the situation is, we are
committed to enhancing the quality and efficiency of our services to the public,
while carrying on our mission of developing Hong Kong into a telecommunications
hub in the Asia Pacific region.
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