'The service keeps cutting out': Angry residents of Hong Kong's outlying islands bemoan PCCW's 'dismal' broadband speeds
Islanders say they are being left behind the rest of the city, which has some of the fastest broadband connections in the world
Residents of Hong Kong's outlying islands have complained about their "dismal" broadband internet service, with 82 per cent of 186 survey respondents saying they were "dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied" with the fixed-line service provided by PCCW subsidiary HKT.
Broadband speeds in southern Lantau Island, Lamma Island, Peng Chau and Cheung Chau average around 4.59 megabits per second, according to a survey conducted by a group called Islands Broadband Concern, set up to push for a better fixed-line broadband service.
That speed is less than one-twentieth of the Hong Kong average, which has been cited as the second fastest in the world.
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"There's a lot of anger and frustration about this. Dozens of complaints are raised every few days. The service keeps cutting out," said Lantau resident Robert Clark, who set up the group which has since sent a letter to PCCW detailing the survey findings in the hope of opening a dialogue with the provider, which enjoys a de facto monopoly on outlying islands.
"The network has been allowed to run down. They need to renew and bring it up to service, but we're at the bottom of the list of PCCW's priorities," he said.
To boost speeds, PCCW would have to pay to install a more extensive fibre-optic network on the islands.