The Telecommunications Authority of Hong Kong said on Friday they will release spectrum through a public auction in this year's fourth quarter for the provision of a mobile service using the CDMA2000 standard from November next year.

The subsidiary legislation will be tabled at the Legislative Council to impose utilization fees on use of the spectrum and to prescribe the method of determining the fee by auction.

CDMA2000 is one of the world's main mobile communications standards. It can provide high-speed data services with data rates comparable to Hong Kong's existing 3G services.

Mobile services based on the CDMA2000 standard are currently provided in 85 countries or regions, including the Chinese mainland, the United States, Republic of Korea and Japan.

According to the Telecommunications Authority, 325 million subscribers are now using the CDMA2000 services worldwide, among whom more than 30 million are in the Chinese mainland.

A new mobile service using the CDMA2000 standard will contribute to the harmonization of popular mobile services with the Chinese mainland as well as other parts of the world, strengthening Hong Kong's strategic position as a world city and the gateway between the Chinese mainland and the world, the authority said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 28, 2007)