The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
No open or closed meetings of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Committees will be held in the LegCo Complex during the week from December 24 to 28.
The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) today (December 21) invites applications for the assignment of spectrum in the 26 GHz and 28 GHz bands for the provision of large scale fifth generation (5G) mobile services.
This invitation follows the decisions of the Communications Authority and the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development on December 13, 2018 on the administrative assignment of 3 700 MHz of spectrum in the 26 GHz and 28 GHz bands, which can be used for the provision of large scale 5G mobile services starting in April 2019. Please refer to the joint statement for details of the decisions: www.coms-auth.hk/filemanager/statement/en/upload/480/joint_statement_st_052018.pdf.
Detailed arrangements and relevant information for submission of applications are set out in the Guidelines for Submission of Applications for Assignment of Spectrum in the 26 GHz and 28 GHz Bands for Provision of Large Scale Public Mobile Services, which can be downloaded from: www.ofca.gov.hk/filemanager/ofca/en/content_1127/26_28_GHz_Guidelines.pdf;
Interested parties should submit their applications to the OFCA by 5.30pm on January 25, 2019. Late submissions will not be accepted. The application form can be downloaded from: www.ofca.gov.hk/filemanager/ofca/en/content_1127/26_28_GHz_ApplicationForm.pdf.
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) published today (December 21) statistics on SVF schemes issued by SVF licensees for the third quarter of 2018.
The SVF scheme statistics (see Annex) include quarterly data on SVF schemes issued by the sixteen SVF licensees (Note 1). The HKMA began to publish the SVF scheme statistics on a quarterly basis in March 2017 to enhance transparency of the SVF industry in Hong Kong.
According to the quarterly statistics, the total number of SVF accounts in use (Note 2) was 54.10 million by the end of Q3/2018, representing a 4.4% increase from the previous quarter. The total number of SVF transactions (Note 3) was around 1.5 billion for Q3/2018, or 0.9% higher than the previous quarter. The total value of SVF transactions was HK$44.7 billion for Q3/2018, up 9.1% from the previous quarter. Of the total transaction value, HK$22.3 billion was related to point-of-sale spending payment, HK$15.9 billion in online spending payment and HK$6.6 billion in P2P funds transfer. The total float and SVF deposit (Note 4) was HK$9.5 billion for Q3/2018, 6.6% higher than the previous quarter.
As compared with the end of Q3/2017, the total number of SVF accounts in use at the end of Q3/2018 was up by 20.6%, and the total float and SVF deposit was up by 26.8%. The total number and value of SVF transactions during Q3/2018 were up by 6.9% and 29.7% respectively year-on-year.
Note 1: The SVF scheme statistics are compiled from data on SVF schemes issued by the sixteen SVF licensees. The SVF licensees, in alphabetical order, are 33 Financial Services Limited, Alipay Financial Services (HK) Limited, Autotoll Limited, Bank of Communications (Hong Kong) Limited, Dah Sing Bank, Limited, ePaylinks Technology Co., Limited, HKT Payment Limited, Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (The), K & R International Limited, Octopus Cards Limited, Optal Asia Limited, PayPal Hong Kong Limited, TNG (Asia) Limited, Transforex (Hong Kong) Investment Consulting Co., Limited, UniCard Solution Limited and WeChat Pay Hong Kong Limited.
Note 2: "Total number of SVF accounts in use" refers to the total number of SVF accounts that can be used as at the end of the reporting period.
Note 3: SVF transactions include point-of-sale spending payment, online spending payment and P2P funds transfer.
Note 4: The following terms follow their definitions in the Payment Systems and Stored Value Facilities Ordinance:
(i) "Float" means the stored value remaining on the facility but does not include any SVF deposit;
(ii) "SVF deposit" means a deposit placed with the licensee, or another person on behalf of the licensee, for enabling the facility to be used.
A man was fined $2,000 at the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts today (December 21) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The courts heard that in March this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), the Home Affairs Department, inspected a licensed guesthouse on Hong Lok Road in Yuen Long. During the inspection, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in an unlicensed guesthouse in the same building on a daily basis.
The man responsible for managing the premises was charged with contravening section 21(3)(b) of the Ordinance for managing a guesthouse in a premises other than the one indicated in the licence.
A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and will lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years' imprisonment.
The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application "Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses".
The Transport Department (TD) today (December 21) invited interested and qualified applicants to submit proposals for operating the Rehabus feeder service.
Applicants can collect the full set of the "Invitation for Proposals" document including service specifications, assessment criteria and the prescribed proposal form during office hours (9am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays) from the Ferry and Paratransit Division, Transport Department, Room 2014, 20/F, Harcourt House, 39 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
All proposals should be placed in a sealed envelope clearly marked with "Application for Operating Rehabus Feeder Service" and should reach the TD at the aforesaid address at or before noon, January 25, 2019 (Friday).
A briefing session on this invitation will be held at 3pm on January 3, 2019 (Thursday) in Room 4110B, 41/F, Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. If an applicant wishes to send representative(s) to attend the briefing session, please complete and return the reply slip for the briefing session (Annex 12 of the Invitation of Proposals document) by fax (fax no. 3528 0564) or by post on or before December 28, 2018 (Friday).
For enquiries, please call 3583 3711.