The Director-General of Telecommunications has called on people to be more patient when making calls during busy periods, such as yesterday's hoisting of typhoon signal No.8.

Speaking on a radio talkshow today, Au Man-ho said the telecommunications network had been operating normally yesterday morning, but some lines later jammed because too many people were making calls simultaneously. He said people repeatedly making calls will add pressure to the network and asked for patience.

To solve the congestion, Mr Au said OFTA has offered an electronic platform for mobile phone operators to share information so network capacity can be fully utilised. It is normal procedure under signal No.8.

He said all communication networks have a maximum capacity and cannot accommodate all users simultaneously.

Advanced infrastructure and enhanced choice

On the Type II interconnection policy withdrawal for local fixed line telecommunication services in 2008, Mr Au said the objective is aimed to encourage new investment in advanced telecommunications infrastructure and enhance consumer choice in high bandwidth customer-access telecommunication networks.

The Type II interconnection policy was introduced in 1995 when the local fixed telecommunications network market was first liberalised. Since then, competitors to PCCW-HKT have together built networks that cover some 53% of Hong Kong households.

After the full withdrawal of the policy in 2008, household coverage will extend to 75%-80%. For the remaining 20%-25% of buildings which are technically not feasible or economically not viable for an operator to roll out its customer access network, mandatory Type II interconnections will continue to be maintained as a safety net in buildings to protect consumer choice.