Enhanced coverage: Director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Stella Hung, Secretary for Commerce, Industry & Technology Joseph Wong, Legislative Councillor Cheung Hok-ming, and Director-General of Telecommunications Au Man-ho officiate at a ceremony  to mark the enhancement of mobile coverage in Tai Po country areas.

Secretary for Commerce, Industry & Technology Joseph Wong says the Government is in talks about installing more base stations to serve parts of the hiking and country trails that are outside mobile networks' service coverage.

Three base stations to serve southern Lantau, Tai Lam Chung and eastern Sai Kung are in the pipeline, he added.

Speaking at a ceremony  to mark the enhancement of mobile coverage in Tai Po country areas today, Mr Wong said about 94% of the popular hiking trails in the territory are now covered by at least one local mobile network.

"This enables hikers and country park visitors to dial 112 for assistance in case of emergency," he said.

To enable hikers and other country park visitors to seek emergency assistance, the Government has been encouraging mobile network operators to boost their country parks' service coverage.

Initiatives to boost mobile coverage

It has used the following initiatives:

* allowing mobile network operators to use Government hilltop sites to build base stations;

* charging a nominal rent of $1 each year; and

* waiving the utilisation fee for the additional radio spectrum specially allocated for use at these base stations.

Five new base stations have been erected this year. They are at Cloudy Hill in Tai Po, Shek Uk Shan in Sai Kung, Woodside near Tai Tam Country Park, Tsuen Kam Au near Tai Mo Shan and Robin's Nest near Sha Tau Kok, which can provide service coverage to parts of Pat Sin Leng Country Park.

With these new base stations, the total number of base stations serving the popular hiking trails, such as the Maclehose Trail, Wilson Trail, Lantau Trail and Hong Kong Trail, as well as other country trails recommended by the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department, has increased to 12. 

Complete blind-spot elimination impossible

Despite the improving mobile coverage, Mr Wong stressed that due to the characteristics of radio propagation and country parks' rugged terrain, individual "blind spots" scattered around the country park areas could not be completely eliminated.

To provide the public with more information about mobile network coverage, the Office of the Telecommunications Authority will publish on its website digital maps showing mobile network coverage along popular hiking and country trails.

Television and radio announcements will launch in October, just before the peak season for hiking, to provide tips on making the best use of communications devices in country parks.

Joseph Wong to visit Singapore

Mr Wong will leave for Singapore this evening for a two-day visit.

Mr Wong will call on Minister for Trade & Industry and Minister for Information, Communications & the Arts to discuss issues of mutual interest.

He will also visit Singapore's research and development facilities and some leading IT companies to learn about the latest development of the information and communication technology industry there.

Mr Wong will return to Hong Kong on September 5.