Mr Ha Yung-kuen appointed as Deputy Director-General of Telecommunications (with photo)
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    The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) announced today (August 9) the appointment of Mr Ha Yung-kuen as Deputy Director-General of Telecommunications with effect from today.

     Mr Ha is currently the Assistant Director (Regulatory Affairs) of OFTA, responsible for overseeing the regulation and licensing of public telecommunications services. His new appointment is to replace Ms Gracie S W Foo, the incumbent Deputy Director-General of Telecommunications, who will take up a new post in the Government.

     "As a veteran telecommunications expert and a member of the OFTA's senior management, Mr Ha has been playing a pivotal role in formulating and executing telecommunications regulatory policies over the years. His expertise and rich experience in both the telecommunications industry and technology have proven to be the assets of OFTA. I have every confidence that Mr Ha will continue to work effectively with the senior management team to enable OFTA to meet the challenges ahead," Director-General of Telecommunications Mr M H Au said.

     "I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Ms Foo for her outstanding contributions during her tenure as the Deputy Director-General of Telecommunications. She has helped me and OFTA in strengthening our best regulatory practices. She has therefore earned the respect of the industry and of the professional team in OFTA. I wish her all success in her new post," Mr Au said.

Brief biographical notes on Mr Ha are set out below:

Mr Ha Yung-kuen
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     Mr Ha Yung-kuen joined the Hong Kong Post Office as an Assistant Telecommunications Engineer in 1977. Mr Ha was promoted to Assistant Director in 2000. He has diversified his experience in different areas within OFTA, including spectrum management, regulation of public telecommunications services as well as management of the corporate resources of OFTA. As Assistant Director (Regulatory Affairs) in OFTA since October, 2003, he leads the regulatory team to execute regulation of the telecommunications industry. He also plays a key role in formulating major regulatory policies.  

     Mr Ha graduated from the University of Hong Kong in 1974 with a B.Sc.(Eng.) degree. He also received a M.Sc. in Telecommunication Systems from the University of Essex in 1980.

Ends/Wednesday, August 9, 2006
Issued at HKT 15:30

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