It is my great pleasure and honour to present this report of the Communications Authority (the Authority), which provides a detailed account of the tasks undertaken by the Authority for the year ending 31 March 2025 and the challenges ahead.
The broadcasting sector in Hong Kong continues to be vibrant and versatile, with 15 free-to-air digital television channels and 14 radio channels provided by various commercial broadcasters and the public service broadcaster, Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), as well as over 700 local and international television channels in multiple languages, available through free-to-air terrestrial and satellite reception or pay television services. Hong Kong is also situated at a strategic location for uplinking satellite television services to the Asia Pacific region, currently with nine non-domestic television programme service (non-domestic TV) licensees providing around 150 satellite television channels for audience in the Asia Pacific region.
To keep pace with developments in the broadcasting sector and better understand the needs of the industry and the public, the Authority commissioned an independent survey covering the services provided by domestic free television programme service (free TV), domestic pay television programme service (pay TV) and sound broadcasting licensees during the year. The survey results, released in February 2025, will serve as a useful reference for the Authority in processing the licence renewal applications from major broadcasters whose licences are due to expire in 2027 and 2028.
In 2024/25, the Authority prepared for processing the licence renewal applications of the three free TV licensees, viz. HK Television Entertainment Company Limited (HKTVE), i-CABLE HOY Limited (i-CABLE HOY) and Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB). The Authority will carry out a comprehensive assessment of each licensee’s performance before submitting its recommendations to the Chief Executive in Council (CE in C) for consideration.
Hong Kong’s telecommunications market continued to flourish over the past year. By March 2025, the number of mobile service subscriptions reached 27.8 million and over 99% of them were subscriptions of the fourth generation (4G) and fifth generation (5G) mobile services. Further to the commercial launch of 5G services since 1 April 2020, 5G mobile service subscriptions reached 8.8 million in March 2025, representing a mobile service subscriber penetration rate1 of 116%. Mobile network operators (MNOs) and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) were offering 4G and 5G services at affordable prices. In March 2025, the monthly mobile data usage further surged to 252 983.5 Terabytes, representing 1.2 times of the monthly usage over the same period in 2024. The monthly mobile data usage per capita rose to 33 318.7 Megabytes in March 2025, compared with 28 748.9 Megabytes in March 2024, representing a 15.9% increase. We expect that 5G services will further boost mobile data usage with the new range of innovative services and applications empowered by 5G. The Authority will continue to introduce necessary measures to facilitate the robust development of the mobile services market.
2025/26 will be another challenging year for the Authority. On the broadcasting front, the Authority will continue to process the licence renewal applications of the free TV services of HKTVE, i-CABLE HOY and TVB. To gauge public views on the services provided by the licensees, the Authority will conduct a consolidated public consultation exercise for the three free TV licensees in the third quarter of 2025. The Authority’s recommendations will then be submitted to CE in C by March 2026.
On the telecommunications front, the Authority will conduct a spectrum auction in the fourth quarter of 2025 for re-assigning 50 MHz of spectrum in 2.5/2.6 GHz band with the existing assignment term expiring in May 2028.
To support the development of low-altitude economy (LAE) in Hong Kong, the Authority will continue to closely monitor telecommunications market developments in Chinese Mainland and other parts of the world, including the designation of dedicated spectrum for use by unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), so as to ensure that spectrum planning in Hong Kong aligns with Chinese Mainland and other advanced economies, thereby promoting the development of LAE activities in Hong Kong.
The Legislative Council (LegCo) passed the Protection of Critical Infrastructures (Computer Systems) Ordinance (Cap. 653) (CIO) on 19 March 2025. The CIO aims to implement the 2023 Policy Address initiative to legislate for cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, under which the Authority was specified as the designated authority for the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors. The CIO will come into operation on 1 January 2026. The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) will support the Authority on the implementation arrangements of the CIO.
The work that lies ahead will be as diverse and challenging as before. The Authority will continue to do its utmost to foster a conducive environment to support the communications sector.
I would like to extend my appreciation to my predecessor, Ms Winnie Tam, S.B.S., SC, J.P., for her leadership in the past year, and my gratitude to members of the Authority for their commitment and insightful contribution throughout the year, and to former members for the achievements they made over the years. I would also like to thank colleagues of OFCA for their dedication and professionalism in supporting the work of the Authority.
Mr Jenkin SUEN, SC
Chairman of the Authority from 1 April 2025 onwards.