Telecommunications industry in Hong Kong
The telecommunications regulator in Hong Kong is the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA). It has liberalized all telecom sectors and there are no foreign ownership restrictions.
Fixed-line phones: There is no preset limit on licenses or application deadlines. As of 2004, nine fixed-line licensees operated in Hong Kong. The telephone density was about 56 lines for every 100 people, one of the highest in the world.
Internet services: In 2004 there were 197 licensed Internet service providers (ISPs) offering dial-up or broadband. Hong Kong had a broadband penetration rate of about 53%, second only to South Korea at the time.
Mobile services: In 2001, four operators were awarded 3G licenses (Hong Kong CSL Limited, Hutchison 3G (HK) Limited, SmartTone 3G Limited, Sunday 3G (HK) Limited). The first 3G services began in January 2004. Together with New World Mobility and Peoples Telephone Company Limited, these operators ran a total of eleven GSM networks. Mobile density was about 106.3% in 2004.
As of July 2017, the mobile penetration rate was estimated at about 240.8% of a population of roughly 7.325 million.
Regulator: OFCA.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:33 (CET).