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Cyberport Progresses in the New Age of IT

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The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Cyberport Development Holdings Limited:

Cyberport, Hong Kong's IT flagship, announced today (June 27) the official opening of its Phases I and II and its Visitor Centre.

At the ceremony held at Cyberport today, officiating guests Mr Henry Tang, Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr John E Strickland, Chairman of the Board of the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Ltd, and Mr Jack So, Group Managing Director and Deputy Chairman-designate of PCCW, celebrated with over one hundred guests the remarkable progress of the Cyberport project.

To mark this important milestone in Hong Kong's IT history, the officiating guests jointly planted a time capsule containing an optical fibre, a Smart Hong Kong Identity card, a photograph of Telegraph Bay prior to the construction of Cyberport and a Cyberport CD-ROM. These items symbolise the breakthroughs made in the history of IT and the various stages of Cyberport's development.

At the opening ceremony, Mr Tang said, "The Cyberport is a showcase of our efforts in developing Hong Kong into a leading digital city in the region. I am confident that the project will spur IT development in Hong Kong after the facilities have been completed and the relevant clusters formed. We will press ahead with the completion of Phases III and IV of Cyberport as well as the shared facilities in the "IT Street". By early 2004, a whole range of shared facilities including training, exhibition and business support facilities will be available to Cyberport tenants and the community. A Wireless Solutions Development Centre and a Digital Media Centre will also be completed. These value-added facilities will provide Cyberport with the necessary platforms for developing clusters of the respective industries."

To date, 22 companies have either moved in or have committed to set up offices in the Cyberport. The tenants enjoy a wide range of high-tech IT and telecommunications services including Internal Private Network (IPN), Unified Messaging System (UMS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Satellite Master Antenna Television System (SMATV) and a wide range of shared business facilities such as video-conferencing and training rooms and exhibition venues.

Mrs Betty Fung, Cyberport Coordinator, said, "We have completed the first two phases within two and a half years since construction of the Cyberport commenced. They together provide about 53,500 sq m of office space. Phase III and Phase IV, the last two phases, will provide a total of 39,000 sq m of office space and be ready by early and end of 2004 respectively. In addition, the 173-room Le Meridien Cyberport and a 27,000 sq m retail centre are expected to open in early 2004."

The innovative Visitor Centre, located at Cyberport III, showcases Cyberport's vision with a 360-degree film "Define the Future" with the theme of Hong Kong as the world's leading port and Cyberport as Hong Kong's IT flagship. Visitors can experience the innovative IT applications through interactive navigators, such as the "Infrastructure Navigator," which highlights communications/IT infrastructure features of Cyberport, as well as a musical and interactive "Bauhinia Community" which introduces the five key initiatives of Hong Kong's Digital 21 Strategy. The VIP suite inside the Visitor Centre also provides a creative venue for holding meetings, press functions and product launches.

The Opening Ceremony kicked off a series of programmes to be held during June 27-29, 2003. Under the overall theme of "Discovering the New Age of IT," the programmes are specially designed to increase awareness of Cyberport among different target groups. Events include a two-day IT exhibition with the participation of Cyberport's tenants, a two-day IT seminar programme targeted at IT professionals and students, a reception for public relations consultants and conference organisers, a reception for the IT industry supported by Invest Hong Kong as well as a half-day seminar co-organised with the University of Hong Kong.

"We are encouraged to see the good response to the various programmes and trust that it will set the scene for further successful events to be held in the Cyberport. We will endeavour to develop Cyberport as the IT and digital media hub in the region and pursue rigorously its public missions," Mrs Betty Fung said.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Ms Kathleen Chan

Hong Kong Cyberport Development Holdings Limited

Tel: +852-3166-3812

Email: kathleenchan@cyberport-holdings.com

End/Friday, June 27, 2003

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