INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY and HONG KONG SOCIETY

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYandHONG KONG SOCIETY

• Vincent Lam
• November, 1999

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Impact of Asian Financial Turmoil
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• GDP down by 4 in 1998
• Property prices fallen by 40-50 from peak in
  1997
• Stock market index (Hang Seng Index) fallen by
  some 15 from peak in 1997
• Unemployment risen to 6

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HONG KONGS RESPONSE ___________________________
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• Community responding well to the adjustment
• Overall strategy to strengthen financial market
• Continued economic policy of minimum intervention
  maximum support
• Investment for the future
• Preparing for the Information Age

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Chief Executive's 1998 Policy Address

• We will use IT (Information Technology) to help
  us to retain our competitive edge and to drive
  our overall economic expansion.

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STRATEGY OBJECTIVE______________________________
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We will work to enhance and promote Hong Kong's
information infrastructure and services so as to
make Hong Kong a leading digital city in the
globally connected world in the 21st century.
To achieve the above objective, the Information
Technology and Broadcasting Bureau (ITBB) will
work in partnership with the private sector, the
community and other Government Departments and
Bureaus.
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A DIGITAL WORLD________________________________
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• The world of tomorrow is connected by digital
  networks
• High-speed connections regardless of geographical
  distance
• Global competition and cooperation
• New business opportunities
• Optimum use of IT critical to competitiveness

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INTEGRATED SERVICES_____________________________
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Services
Technology
Telecommunications
Broadcasting
With the convergence between information
technology and services, telecommunications and
broadcasting where different communications
networks transmit all forms of media, Hong Kong
is going to enter the new digital era.
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THE SITUATION NOW ______________________________
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• Telecommunications
• 100 digitised network
• 36 households/businesses with kerbside
  connection to broadband networks
• 108 exchange lines per 100 households
• 48 mobile phone penetration and growing fast

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THE SITUATION NOW (cont'd) ____________________
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• Broadcasting (TV)
• 99 (1.9 m) household penetration rate of TV
• 79 (1.57 m) households passed by cable TV
  network
• 28 (550,000) households with access to satellite
  TV
• World's 1st commercial-scale video-on-demand
  service launched in Mar 98

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THE SITUATION NOW (cont'd) ____________________
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• Information Technology
• US 2.4 billion IT spending (1997)
• 46 home penetration rate of PC and growing fast
• 90 firms in service sectors using OA software
  50 with networked systems
• 800,000 Internet accounts

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IT Strategy - A Community Perspective___________
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Key to Success
A cultural environment that stimulates creativity
and welcomes advances in the use of IT
People who know how to use IT
Secure electronic interaction
Common software interface
High capacity communications systems
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IT Strategy - A Community Perspective
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Initiatives
Chinese language applications
Innovation awards
A cultural environment that stimulates creativity
and welcomes advances in the use of IT
Knowledge and awareness of information services
and IT
Electronic service delivery and government IT
exploitation
Asia Pacific Internet content hub
People who know how to use IT
Education and training
Lifelong learning
Secure electronic Interaction
Common software interface
Year 2000 problem
Technical standards
Public key infrastructure
Chinese language interface
Asia Pacific Internet traffic hub
High capacity communications systems
Electronic Service Delivery - infrastructure
Telecommunications infrastructure
Regulation legislation
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The IT Strategy Plan - Key Result
Areas____________________________________________
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Promote and facilitate the use of new and
emerging information technologies within the
community
Foster the development of the IT industry locally
Develop IT infrastructure and set standards

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The IT Strategy Plan ____________________________
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Key Result Area 1
Develop IT infrastructure and set standards

• Initiatives
• Develop Electronic Service Delivery
  infrastructure
• Establish Chinese language interface
• Develop public key infrastructure
• Develop Cyberport
• Develop Hong Kong into an Asia Pacific Internet
  traffic hub
• Introduce regulation and legislation
• Develop IT infrastructure for schools

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Electronic Service Delivery ______________________
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___________________________
Content Providers
Television

• Government departments
• Public organizations
• Business

Internet
ESD Service Providers
Public Kiosk
Telephone
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The IT Strategy Plan ____________________________
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Key Result Area 1
Develop IT infrastructure and set standards

• Priority tasks
• Introduce legislation to facilitate electronic
  commerce (1999)
• Set up a Certification Authority (1999)
• Establish a Chinese language common interface
  (2000)
• Build secure central gateways for communication
  between Government and community/business (2000)
• Implement Electronic Service Delivery in phases
  (2000)

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The IT Strategy Plan ____________________________
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Key Result Area 1
Develop IT infrastructure and set standards

• Priority tasks (cont'd)
• Set up an electronic link between the Governments
  of the Hong Kong SAR and Guangdong Province
  (1999)
• Explore the development of Hong Kong into an
  Internet hub
• Continue to cooperate with the Mainland and other
  countries on IT matters

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The IT Strategy Plan ____________________________
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Key Result Area 2
Foster the development of the IT industry locally

• Initiatives
• Encourage development of Chinese language
  applications
• Provide adequate IT professionals
• Support the IT industry
• Promote IT investment

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The IT Strategy Plan ____________________________
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Key Result Area 2
Foster the development of the IT industry locally

• Priority tasks
• Facilitate technological collaboration between
  business and academia
• Foster the development of the local IT industry
  through outsourcing of government IT projects
• Complete the consultancy study on manpower and
  training needs of the IT sector (1999)
• Develop Cyberport, an Applied Science and
  Technology Research Infrastructure
• Set up an Innovation and Technology Fund

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The IT Strategy Plan ____________________________
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• Initiatives
• Develop Hong Kong into an Asia Pacific Internet
  content hub
• Implement the Electronic Service Delivery scheme
  and promote the wider use of IT within Government
• Promote use of innovative IT in the community
• Collect and disseminate information on IT and
  information services
• Tackle the Year 2000 problem
• Enable the community to make optimum use of IT
• Promote use of IT in schools
• Widen the use of IT in university campus and
  strengthen the teaching of IT

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The IT Strategy Plan _____________________________
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Key Result Area 3
Promote and facilitate the use of new and
emerging information technologies within the
community

• Priority tasks
• Achieve Year 2000 compliance (mid-1999)
• Implement pilot projects to promote use of IT
  within the community (1999/2000)
• Launch programmes to encourage the private sector
  to engage in electronic commerce
• Formulate a 5-year strategy on IT in education
  (1998)

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The IT Strategy Plan (Milestones and Targets)
First phase of ESD will be available
Chinese interface for ESD will be available
A Certification Authority will be established
Phase I of on-line services will be available
1998
1999
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2001
2002

• ESD - Infrastructure

• ESD and government IT exploitation

• Chinese interface
• Public key infrastructure
• Asia Pacific Internet traffic hub
• Asia Pacific Internet content hub
• Regulation and legislation
• Tackling the Year 2000 problem
• Chinese language applications
• Collect and disseminate information on IT and
  information services
• IT excellence promotion

over 2/3 of all new IT projects in Government
will be outsourced
Hong Kong will be one of the leading Internet
traffic hubs in the Asia Pacific Region
Hong Kong will be one of the leading Internet
content providers in the Asia Pacific Region
Information on IT and information services is
widely available
Collaborative projects on Chinese language
application development established
E-commerce legislation drafted
Year 2000 threat minimised, critical systems
rectified
Public recognition and award schemes established
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IT Strategy Plan - Benefits ______________________
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• For the community
• More effective provision of public services
• Enhanced personal and social life

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IT Strategy Plan - Benefits _____________________
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• For businesses
• New ways of doing business to conquer new markets
• Attraction for international investors
• Maximized return on IT investment
• A competitive and healthy local IT market

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IT Strategy Plan - Benefits______________________
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• For Hong Kong's position in the world ...
• Competitiveness in the information age
• An important hub for global electronic commerce
• Communication gateway to China

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