The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer clarified today that a device in question, “BLE Locator Model: SPLD01”, is a Bluetooth beacon installed in every smart lamppost.

“SPLD01” stands for "Smart Post Lands Department Model No 01".

An image of the mechanism was circulated on the Internet and the office noted the device is believed to be a component used in a smart lamppost that was torn down.

The beacon was developed by the Logistics & Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre for offering positioning service, which is more precise than Global Positioning System (GPS) to the public and visitors.

It also pointed out that "Ticktack Technology Limited", a name that appeared on the beacon, is a sub-contractor of the smart lamppost project, responsible for supplying and installing the device concerned.

The company is a local small enterprise established in 2017 and all shareholders, directors and employees were born and raised in Hong Kong. 

The company’s two shareholders and directors also hold a local company, Joint Wisdom Engineering Limited, which is a Highways Department sub-contractor that has maintained public lighting for the past decade.