Organisers of a wireless technology conference last week probably expected fireworks when they invited three Hong Kong mobile operators to share the stage for a 3G forum.
In true conference style, however, Hong Kong CSL chief executive Hubert Ng Ching-wah, 3 Hong Kong managing director Agnes Nardi and Sunday Communications group managing director Bruce Hicks gave each other easy rides, with the most pertinent remarks aimed at telecommunications regulator Au Man-ho, unfortunate to be seated in the front row.
Notwithstanding Ms Nardi and Mr Ng's apparent desire to blame the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (Ofta) for the exorbitant licence fees their firms chose to pay in 2001, both acknowledged the regulator's significant role in developing a telecoms market that could help shape 3G development in China.
'The mobile industry development in China is not behind Hong Kong,' Mr Ng said. 'But the situation is that, as Hong Kong is a city, it is easier for us to award licences, and we have a very efficient regulator, and that is perhaps our only advantage over China.'
'When it comes to economies of scale, we will be behind China,' Ms Nardi added. 'But given that Hong Kong has a more dynamic environment, both regulatory and [regarding] transfer of technologies, Hong Kong can [play] a role as a test for 3G development [in China].'
Perhaps because Sunday has yet to launch its 3G service, Mr Hicks refrained from jibes regarding licence fees but called on Ofta to move quickly to universal licensing that would allow mobile operators and fixed-line operators to become technology agnostic.
