The amended section 14 of the Telecommunications Ordinance (Cap. 106) (TO) will come into operation tomorrow (October 1). Mobile network operators authorised by the Communications Authority (CA) can access the reserved space in specified buildings with building plans approved on or after April 1, 2025, to install and maintain mobile communications facilities (MCFs) without the payment of a fee to the land owners concerned.
The TO stipulates that specified buildings cover newly built and rebuilt commercial, industrial, residential and hotel buildings. New government buildings and public housing developments will also follow the relevant arrangements to reserve space for mobile network operators to install MCFs.
To implement the new measure, the CA, after considering the views from the telecommunications industry, building developers, construction professional bodies and the property management industry, has promulgated the Code of Practice for the Provision of Mobile Access Facilities in Specified Buildings for the Provision of Public Mobile Radiocommunications Services (Mobile CoP), which stipulates the minimum standards and requirements of the infrastructure facilities for the installation of MCFs in specified buildings. The Building Authority has also updated the Practice Note for Authorized Persons, Registered Structural Engineers and Registered Geotechnical Engineers on Access Facilities for Telecommunications and Broadcasting Services (Practice Note (APP-84)) issued in accordance with section 28A of the Building (Planning) Regulations (Cap. 123F), which promulgates the requirements on floor space and ancillary facilities for the installation of MCFs in specified buildings. The Mobile CoP and the Practice Note (APP-84) will come into effect tomorrow. Details have been uploaded to the websites of the CA and the Buildings Department.
The relevant amendments to the TO will help institutionalise the arrangements for installing MCFs in specified buildings and streamline the approval process, with a view to further expanding the network coverage of Hong Kong's fifth generation (5G) mobile services and facilitating Hong Kong's development into a smart city.
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