INTERNATIONAL paging service SkyTel was launched in Hongkong yesterday with the hope that its pagers would also soon work in China.
SkyTel pagers are similar in size and operation to others, but can be used in more than one country because the operators have got access to a radio frequency that is available worldwide.
The service is more expensive than that offered by conventional pagers, which can only work in one city or country. SkyTel is aimed at global business jetsetters.
Sales and marketing director Allen Luu said that putting Hongkong into this ''electronic global village'' was costing $45 million and he expected 10,000 Hongkong subscribers in the first year.
He said the company had 300,000 subscribers worldwide, primarily in the United States, and carried six million messages a day.
The pagers also work in Canada, Mexico and Singapore. Bermuda, Indonesia and Malaysia are scheduled to join in the summer.