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Following is a speech by the Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting, Mrs Carrie Yau, at the Launching Ceremony of
Hongkong Post Mobile e-Cert System today (October 8):
Mr Luk, Mr Moustafa, Mrs Nardi, distinguished guests and friends from the media,
It is my great pleasure to attend the launching ceremony today. The launch of the Hongkong Post mobile e-Cert system marks a momentous milestone in the development of mobile commerce in Hong Kong. With the launch of this system, Hong Kong will be the first economy in the world to issue mobile e-Certs for community-wide adoption. The system is also the first one that can support the operation of mobile e-Certs on a wide range of wireless devices. This infrastructural development makes Hong Kong a pioneer and a leader in mobile service and technology.
Building capabilities and infrastructure to support Hong Kong's mobile commerce is a major commitment under our Digital 21 Strategy, which is Hong Kong's blueprint for achieving leadership in the information economy. We have already made great strides in achieving our objective. We have put in place a liberalised telecommunications regime and successfully completed the third generation mobile service spectrum auction to keep Hong Kong's leadership in the new generation of mobile service.
Today, we have taken another major step forward to provide a secure infrastructure for mobile commerce. Leveraging this infrastructure, local enterprises can now develop innovative applications and exploit leading-edge wireless technologies. With over 83 per cent of our population having a mobile phone and a community receptive to innovations, our network operators and application service providers are presented with new business opportunities to explore, which will in turn enable our community to enjoy the benefits of innovative and secure wireless services anytime, anywhere. For example, very soon we will be able to use our PDA or mobile device to authenticate our identity and buy and sell stocks and equities online. And banking service can be the next candidate in the pipeline to be provided securely through the same manner.
The successful launch of the mobile e-Cert system is largely attributed to the concerted efforts of our network operators, technology providers, application service providers and Hongkong Post, our public Certification Authority, to realise a common vision for Hong Kong to drive mobile commerce development. It is also a successful example of cooperation between Hong Kong and Canada in e-business, under the auspices of the MOU on IT cooperation signed between the two places. The technology of this innovative mobile e-Cert system is provided by Diversinet, a leading Canadian company in wireless security products. We will continue to collaborate with the local industry and our international partners to drive the development of e-business in Hong Kong.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Hongkong Post and Diversinet on successfully establishing an important infrastructure for mobile commerce in Hong Kong, and Hutchison Telecommunications for its vision to take part in this mobile commerce initiative by developing mobile e-Cert services for rolling out to its customers. Thank you.
END/Monday, October 8, 2001
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