HKTV's latest mobile TV plan halted again as legal action begins
Communications Authority halts processing of station's latest proposal on mobile TV service after legal action against government begins
The Communications Authority has stopped processing Hong Kong Television Network's proposal to change the transmission standard for its mobile television service after the station took the dispute to court.
The move will further delay HKTV's plan to launch its mobile television, as the choice of transmission standard is crucial to providing the service.
HKTV has applied for a judicial review of the government's response to its proposal for a mobile service. Although the application has yet to be approved, the authority's legal experts have advised the watchdog against further communication with HKTV over mobile television matters.
"We don't want to drag the process on, but … we don't want further complications … as legal action has started," authority chairman Ambrose Ho Pui-him said.
Last month, HKTV called off its plan to launch mobile television in July after the authority frowned on its proposal to use the same transmission standard as free television stations TVB and ATV.
HKTV's mobile service could reach more than 5,000 households if it used the DTMB standard, requiring it to have a free-to-air licence on top of a mobile television licence, the authority said.