An International Telecommunications Union (ITU) survey has ranked Hong Kong as the most advanced market in the world for Internet and mobile telecommunications development.
The ITU's first 'Internet for a Mobile Generation' survey of 127 economies gave Hong Kong an average score of 65.88 out of 100 in the ITU Mobile-Internet Index. Hong Kong rated third in market structure, fourth in usage and eighth in infrastructure.
It beat runner-up Denmark and No 3 Sweden in the survey, which measured the stage of development of information and communications technologies and an economy's ability to take advantage of these technologies in the future. The United States was No 5, Singapore No 13 and Japan No 20.
Hong Kong has Asia's highest mobile-phone penetration rate, with 85 out of 100 people having one. The Internet penetration rate in Hong Kong is about 45.9 per cent, behind Singapore's 60.5 per cent and South Korea's 51.1 per cent.
ITU report writer Lara Srivastava said Hong Kong's high score should be attributed to its relatively early privatisation and a pro-competition regulator. She said Hong Kong needed to improve on open access and encourage sharing among operators to maintain its lead.
