The P-Plus Communications consortium will have its PCS network up and running within 12 months, according to Star Telecom International managing director, Francis Wong.
The consortium will invest $1.2 billion in the network and will take advantage of P-Plus's existing branch outlet and base station networks.
Mr Wong said the six new personal communications services operators would bring great advantages to Hong Kong mobile consumers. 'Competition will be extremely keen. I can see the price of handsets and airtime being 20 to 30 per cent lower than current cellular systems.' The market for cellular subscribers, he said, would reach about 2.5 million in the next two years, from an existing one million.
Aside from Star Telecom, P-Plus shareholders include Taiwan's Pacific Electric Wire and Cable (PEWC), Asia Paging, Telecom Services, Epro Paging and Telecom Finland.
Before it was awarded the licence, P-Plus said it planned to target the consumer mobile and small to medium-sized business markets.
In targeting these areas with special tariff plans and services, P-Plus has the advantage of having more than 120 sales and service outlets operated by consortium members.
Mr Wong said the consortium members had a base of 350,000 paging subscribers - about 35 per cent of the Hong Kong market - which P-Plus sees as potential clients of PCS services.