Hong Kong residents can now enjoy the convenience of accessing wireless Internet service for free at more than 30 government premises with the official launch of the Government Wi-Fi (GovWiFi) Program in March.

The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr. Frederick Ma, said the implementation of GovWiFi will put in place around 2,000 Wi-Fi hotspots covering some 350 government locations by the middle of next year.

“The provision of public Wi-Fi services will continue to expand, maintaining Hong Kong’s position among the leading cities in the world,” he said.

The GovWiFi program is being introduced in phases, with the first batch of hotspots at more than 30 locations launched in March covering some government offices and major public libraries.

By mid-2008, the number of sites providing Wi-Fi hotspots will increase to 120 with an additional 230 premises ready by mid-2009. Apart from libraries and government offices, the locations will cover job centers, public enquiry service centers, sports centers, key cultural and recreation centers, community halls/centers and large parks.

Mr. Ma said that the provision of public Wi-Fi services is booming in Hong Kong and that there was a surge of more than 1,000 new public Wi-Fi hotspots installed in just the first two months of 2008, amounting to more than 6,400 covering more than 4,100 locations.

“Our lives are now tightly coupled with information and communications technology (ICT), which also helps build our digital economy and enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong. Wireless and mobile services and technology are, in particular, applied in the pillar industries in Hong Kong,” said Mr. Ma.

Noting that mobile financial services recorded a nearly 60% year-on-year growth in 2007, Mr. Ma said he hopes the ICT industry would ride on the expanding user base to develop more mobile financial and banking services that were both secure and customer-centric.

“To consolidate Hong Kong’s position as a leader in tourism and logistics, industry players are encouraged to make use of wireless and mobile technologies to provide tourists and logistics management with more useful electronic information.”

Mr. Ma stressed that the Government would continue to adopt a market-led, technology-neutral and facilitating approach in introducing new and innovative services for driving commerce and economic development in Hong Kong, as well as improving the quality of living of the people.