Well connected: Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Rita Lau presents the Digital Opportunity Award to representatives of the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association.

A Hong Kong mobile link service for the elderly won the grand prize in the Digital Opportunity Award in the World Information Technology Services Alliance Global ICT Excellence Awards 2010 in Amsterdam on May 26.

The service is a project jointly developed by the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association and CSL. It is a 24-hour innovative emergency support and elderly care service using a specially designed one-button mobile link device via GSM mobile technology.

The system was nominated by the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation to enter the awards, after winning the Best Ubiquitous Networking Grand Award in the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2008 and the Asia Pacific ICT Awards 2009 (e-Inclusions and e-Community).

Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Rita Lau congratulated the association and the project partner, saying the prize is international recognition of the association's successful application of information and communications technology in providing a caring social service for seniors.

"It is an excellent example of collaboration joining the social service and ICT sectors in the provision of community services through the innovative application of technology. It also reinforces the promotion of wider ICT application in the community in accord with the Government's Digital 21 Strategy," Mrs Lau said.

The awards are presented once every two years in conjunction with the World Congress on Information Technology, taking place this year in the Netherlands from May 25 to 27. They will identify the most outstanding ICT users, honouring achievements in the use of information technology around the globe in three categories - public sector excellence, private sector excellence and digital opportunity.