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Digital Inclusion, E-Government

HK issues Guidelines on Broadband Services

By Clarice Africa | 10 November 2011

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) released today a set of mandatory guidelines. which aims to set out guiding principles for compliance by service providers, on how they can implement a Fair Usage Policy (FUP) and enhance service information transparency.

The guidelines, which will take effect in 13 February, 2012, indicates that service providers shall not impose any limitations, including any form of FUP on subscribers of unlimited local data service plans.

At present, mobile and fixed broadband service providers offer a variety of service plans, including unlimited usage plans, to cater for the needs of customers in the fiercely competitive telecommunications market. The so called “unlimited” service plans are however subject to limitation, in the name of the FUP.

“Under our light-handed regulatory policy, service providers are free to offer unlimited service plans, with or without qualifications, so long as they adhere to the principles stipulated in the guidelines governing FUP’s application,” a spokesperson of OFTA said.

“Service providers offering unlimited plans without qualifications must ensure that their networks are equipped with sufficient capacity so that they are truly capable of providing unlimited services to the relevant customers. Otherwise, they may risk contravening the guidelines and section 7M of the Telecommunications Ordinance, which prohibits licensees from engaging in misleading or deceptive conduct in providing telecommunications services,” the spokesperson added.

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