Main player in phone game

The deal gives the Li family control of an estimated two-thirds of the mobile phone market and virtually all fixed phone lines.

Li Ka-shing's Hutchison Telecommunications has 1.4 million mobile phone subscribers, making it the SAR's biggest mobile phone operator.

Cable & Wireless HKT comes second with nearly one million subscribers.

With 3.7 million mobile phone subscribers, Hong Kong has one of the highest market penetrations in Asia.

HKT owns 3.6 million fixed phone lines, or 97 per cent of the market.

Hutchison, a relative newcomer to the market, shares the remaining three per cent with rivals New World and AT&T.

HKT also runs the largest Internet service provider, with 700,000 users.