The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (Ofta) is working on a series of measures to enable it to regulate mergers and acquisitions in the telecommunications sector.
'This is a path we should take in light of the full deregulation of our telecoms market,' telecom director-general Anthony Wong Sik-kei said.
'We need a more systematic way to regulate industry activities.'
The measures would give the telecoms regulator authority to approve transactions involving more than 15 per cent of a company's shareholding.
In addition, a carrier licensee would need to report different shareholding changes if any share transaction breached 15 per cent, 35 per cent and 50 per cent trigger points.
Ofta will adjust these criteria in accordance with the Securities and Futures Commission's recent proposal to lower the takeover trigger to 30 per cent from 35 per cent.