ONE of Hong Kong's largest monopolies with a reputation for its aloofness from customers is doing an about turn in a bid to prepare for impending competition.
Hongkong Telecom, the biggest provider of fixed telecommunications network services, has pledged it will pay more attention to customer needs and provide value for money.
The company's renewed interest in customer services has been prompted by the entry of three new telecom service providers - Hutchison Communications, New T&T and New World Telephone.
Hongkong Telecom deputy chief executive officer Peter Howell-Davies said the company was prepared to take on the competition.
'The mobile industry is already highly competitive as is the equipment supply area,' Mr Howell-Davies said.
'We have good experience in operating in a competitive environment. We are now about to see competition in the local telephony market, but we have had quite a while to restructure Telecom to meet competition. We are much more customer focused.' Better focus on customer service appears to be the key message the company is seeking to get across.
During an hour-long interview, Mr Howell-Davies highlighted the customer service issue on several occasions.