Following is a question by the Hon Tam Chun-kwok and a written reply by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, in the Legislative Council today (May 13):

Question:

     The Northern Metropolis will be planned by adopting an "industry-driven and infrastructure-led" approach as its key axle, and there are views that mobile network construction is also an important part of infrastructure. The Government respectively launched the Subsidy Scheme to Extend Fibre-based Networks to Villages in Remote Areas (Fibre-based Network Subsidy Scheme) in 2018 and the Subsidy Scheme to Extend 5G Coverage in Rural and Remote Areas (5G Coverage Subsidy Scheme) in 2025. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the respective mobile network coverage of Hong Kong's country parks and along major government hiking trails to date; the distribution of locations not covered by mobile networks;

(2) of the number of applications received from mobile network operators under the 5G Coverage Subsidy Scheme to date, and the number of applications approved; the number of radio base stations installed and the rural areas covered under these applications to date;

(3) as it is learnt that the six fixed network operators selected through tender under the Fibre-based Network Subsidy Scheme are expected to complete the laying of all fibre-based networks within 2026, of the latest progress of the relevant works as of April this year, and whether all works are expected to be completed as scheduled; the number of villages currently covered by the laying of fibre-based networks, the coverage and the number of beneficiaries, and whether the authorities will assess if the current progress is in line with the past estimates; if not, the reasons for that; and

(4) whether the Government has received any enquiries or complaints regarding "fibre laid but not usable"; if so, of the respective numbers of such enquiries or complaints and the main areas involved; the measures put in place by the Government to ensure network stability?

Reply:

President,

     The Government has been attaching great importance to the development of mobile network in Hong Kong, with a view to promoting the application of innovative technologies and the development of high-end industries. To further enhance mobile network infrastructure in rural and remote areas, the Government has introduced various subsidy schemes, including the Subsidy Scheme to Extend Fibre-based Networks to Villages in Remote Areas (Fibre-based Network Subsidy Scheme) and the Subsidy Scheme to Extend 5G Coverage in Rural and Remote Areas (5G Coverage Subsidy Scheme), to encourage telecommunications operators to enhance fibre-based network and mobile coverage in rural and remote areas. In response to the various parts of the question raised by Hon Tam Chun-kwok, our reply is as follows:

(1) At present, mobile network operators (MNOs) have installed around 19 600 radio base stations (RBSs) in all 18 districts of Hong Kong, including 33 RBSs in major country parks as well as rural areas. According to the assessment of the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA), the overall mobile network coverage of country parks and major government hiking trails is around 80 per cent and 95 per cent respectively. Due to the complex terrain in rural areas of Hong Kong, there are currently some locations without any local network coverage possibly, such as the area near Tung Wan on Lantau Trail Section 9 in the Islands, the area near Kat O Bay along the Boat Tour of Northeast New Territories, etc.

(2) To enhance mobile network coverage in rural and remote areas, OFCA launched the 5G Coverage Subsidy Scheme in July 2025 to provide subsidies to MNOs to install a total of around 50 new RBSs in phases in country parks, outlying islands and other rural and remote areas in different districts of Hong Kong. These locations cover ten districts, including North, Sai Kung, Tai Po, Sha Tin, Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan, Southern, Eastern and Islands. We expect that by the time when all RBSs are installed and activated, the mobile network coverage in country parks will increase from the current 80 per cent to above 90 per cent, whereas the coverage along major government hiking trails will rise from 95 per cent to above 98 per cent, with expected improvement of the mobile network coverage in the area near Tung Wan on Lantau Trail Section 9 in the Islands and the area near Kat O Bay along the Boat Tour of Northeast New Territories as mentioned in part (1) of the reply. As the installation of RBSs in rural and remote areas involves various technical issues (such as electricity infrastructure, loading restrictions and road excavation works for optical fibre installation, etc.), the scheme has been implemented in two phases in general to ensure its effective roll-out. Around 30 sites where infrastructure is relatively well-established or where there is an urgent need to enhance mobile network coverage have been included in Phase I of the scheme, whereas the remaining around 20 sites, which require additional time or further technical studies before RBSs can be installed, are included in Phase II. Nevertheless, if the conditions of a Phase II site become ready, OFCA will also process the relevant application. To date, OFCA has received 16 applications for the installation of new RBSs, covering 14 sites under Phase I and two sites under Phase II, among which nine sites under Phase I and two sites under Phase II have already been approved, covering the districts of Islands, Southern, Tai Po and North. OFCA is actively taking forward the scheme, with a view to completing installation and activation of the first batch of RBSs by the end of this year. OFCA will continue to take forward with RBS installation at the remaining sites.

(3) The Government launched the Fibre-based Network Subsidy Scheme in 2018 to subsidise fixed network operators (FNOs) in extending fibre-based networks to 235 villages in remote areas. All six tender projects under the scheme have progressed smoothly in accordance with the timetables set out in the tender documents. To date, fibre-based networks have been rolled out to 233 (99 per cent) villages, and the fibre-based network installation works for the remaining two villages are expected to be completed by the end of August 2026. It is expected that the scheme will benefit 110 000 villagers and will also provide the necessary infrastructure for the roll-out of other types of telecommunications services (such as 5G mobile services and Wi-Fi wireless Internet access).

(4) Under the Fibre-based Network Subsidy Scheme, the selected FNOs will need to carry out further fibre-based cabling works on private land and properties in the villages after completing the roll-out of the fibre-based networks to the relevant villages, so that the fibre-based networks can be extended to the villagers' homes for providing broadband services. OFCA has received enquiries regarding the progress of such works within villages located in the districts of Islands, Sai Kung, Tai Po, North, Sha Tin, and Tuen Mun. After referring the cases to relevant FNOs for follow-up, the cabling works had been successfully completed and broadband services were provided. To date, OFCA has not identified any cases of "fibre laid but not usable" nor has it received any related complaints. OFCA will conduct robust acceptance inspections of the network infrastructure laid by the selected FNOs under the scheme to ensure that such works have complied with the relevant standards before releasing the subsidies. If there is any report regarding network coverage issues received from members of the public, OFCA will follow up with the relevant FNOs as appropriate.

Ends/Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:08

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