News

An independent market research organisation was commissioned by OGCIO to conduct the User Experience Survey for Wi-Fi.HK from December 2022 to January 2023. The survey results are summarised as below.

Thanks to everyone's support, the online voting campaign for Wi-Fi.HK Mascot has been successfully completed. Our Wi-Fi.HK Mascot is now named as:

“cOnNEct” (pronounced as "One Connect"), which implies a simple way of Wi-Fi connectivity.

Wi-Fi.HK hotspots provide everyone with a convenient and free public Wi-Fi service across Hong Kong. To access the Internet, users can simply select the corresponding network name (SSID) within the hotspot area and accept the “Terms & Conditions / Disclaimers”. No registration is required during the process.
To search for hotspots: https://wi-fi.hk/en/HotspotLocation

“cOnNEct” will continue to take us to various Wi-Fi hotspots in Hong Kong and bring us the latest information about Wi-Fi.HK :)

Naming Campaign for Wi-Fi.HK Mascot has received an overwhelming response from the public! Among all the creative suggestions, five of them have been shortlisted for public voting. Leave your comment and pick a name for the Wi-Fi.HK Mascot now! The one who proposed the winning name will be awarded a prize of a set of Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Earbuds while the first 100 participants who vote for the winning name will also be offered a set of "Wi-Fi.HK 2-in-1 Charging Cable"!

Details of the Campaign are as follows:
Phase 2: From 7 December to 28 December 2022

Steps:
1. Like our Wi-Fi.HK Facebook Fan Page (https://www.facebook.com/WiFi.HongKong)
2. Like the campaign post of "Voting Campaign for Naming for Wi-Fi.HK Mascot" (https://www.facebook.com/WiFi.HongKong/posts/517735993717947)
3. Vote by leaving the name of your choice (or the number of your choice) in the comment box and tag 2 friends

Terms & Conditions:

1. This campaign is organised by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), and is exclusively for Hong Kong residents (participants);

2. Phase 2 of the campaign is from 7 December to 28 December 2022, 11:59 P.M. (Hong Kong time);

3. Participants must complete all of the steps above. A participant can only vote for one choice. Multiple votes or modified comments will be deemed as invalid voting;

4. Each Facebook account can only join the campaign once and have an opportunity to win one prize. Duplicated or fake accounts will be deemed as invalid voting;

5. OGCIO shall not be responsible for any submission delays, losses, errors or other failures due to computer, network or other technical issues arising with the participants;

6. OGCIO reserves the right to cancel, extend or amend the Terms and Conditions for this event without giving prior notice; and

7. In case of any dispute, OGCIO reserves the right of final decision.

We will hold a Naming Campaign for the Wi-Fi.HK mascot in August and welcome everyone to share your thoughts and ideas! Participants completing the following steps will be rewarded with a set of "Wi-Fi.HK 2-in-1 Charging Cable"!

Details of the Campaign are as follows:
Phase 1: From 11 August to 25 August 2022

Steps:
1. Like our Wi-Fi.HK Facebook Fan Page (www.facebook.com/WiFi.HongKong)
2. Like the campaign post of "Naming Campaign for Wi-Fi.HK Mascot" (https://www.facebook.com/WiFi.HongKong/posts/431711455653735/)
3. In the comment box, leave your suggestion for the name of the Wi-Fi.HK mascot (with brief explanation)

After the Phase 1, we will shortlist several creative suggestions for public voting. The nominator of the winning name will then be awarded with a grand prize! Wondering what the grand prize is? Stay tuned to the Wi-Fi.HK Facebook page for updates!

Terms & Conditions:

1. This campaign is organised by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), and is restricted to be participated by local Hong Kong residents (participants);

2. Phase 1 of the campaign is from 11 August 2022 to 25 August 2022, 11:59 P.M. (Hong Kong time);

3. Steps to participate in the campaign:
a. Like our Wi-Fi.HK Facebook page
b. Like the campaign post of "Naming Campaign for Wi-Fi.HK Mascot"
c. In the comment box, leave your suggestion for the name of the Wi-Fi.HK mascot (with brief explanation)

4. Prizes are limited to the participants completing the steps (i.e., Like Wi-Fi.HK Facebook page, Like the campaign post and provide name suggestion in the comments box). Each winner will be rewarded with a set of "Wi-Fi.HK 2-in-1 charging cable";

5. In case of identical name suggestions are submitted by multiple participants, only the earliest comment suggested will be deemed as valid; the rest of the comments will be deemed as invalid name suggestions;

6. Copyright:
a. Suggestion provided for the name of the Wi-Fi.HK mascot should be original and should not be issued or published or awarded in other competitions before.
b. Name of the Wi-Fi.HK mascot must be without infringing on the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of any party. The OGCIO shall not be responsible for any liability arising whatsoever or howsoever from any violation of any copyright laws. Please visit https://www.ipd.gov.hk/eng/pub_press/publications/iphk_e.pdf for details of Intellectual Property in Hong Kong.
c. The OGCIO reserves the right to copy, use, modify, display, publish and distribute the name suggestions in full or in partial, or distribute them to any media for publicity or education purposes, without remuneration or other notice. The OGCIO also reserves the right to use or not to use the winning name suggestion.
d. The OGCIO has the right to publicise the winning name suggestion in any media.
e. The copyright of the name of the Wi-Fi.HK mascot will be vested with OGCIO. The judging panel members chosen by the OGCIO have the final decision on the results.

7. The winners will be notified individually via Inbox Message on or before 16 September 2022;

8. Each Facebook account can only join the campaign once. Duplicated or fake accounts will be deemed as invalid submission;

9. The OGCIO shall not be responsible for any submission delays, losses, errors or other failures due to computer, network or other technical issues arising with the participants;

10. The OGCIO reserves the right to cancel, extend or amend the Terms and Conditions for this event without prior notice;

11. In case of any dispute, the OGCIO reserves the right of final decision.

12. Upon completion the final selections of name suggestions for the Wi-Fi.HK mascot, the participants are agreed to be bound by all of the above terms and conditions, and will remove any loss of the OGCIO from any of the principals who have filed their name suggestion for the legal liability and agree to the compensation.

Last revised: 5 Oct 2022

A User Experience Survey of Wi-Fi.HK was carried out by a professional research orgainsation from December 2021 to January 2022. The summary is provided as below.

To push ahead smart city development, the Government has been actively bolstering the Wi-Fi.HK service to provide free public Wi-Fi service with better user experience for local residents and visitors. Over 36 000 hotspots under the Wi-Fi.HK brand are now in town with an extensive coverage to locations such as the airport, tourist attractions, restaurants, shopping malls and stores, banks, youth service centres and study rooms as well as 3 000-plus buses and taxis and the Airport Express that are on the move. The Wi-Fi.HK service has been further extended to the sitting-out areas of 185 public rental housing estates and all public hospitals.

Currently, more than 1 200 government venues are installed with Wi-Fi.HK hotspots. These include all public libraries, most museums, public markets and cooked food centres, sports, cultural and recreational venues, parks, promenades, land boundary control points and the cruise terminal. Having completed various enhancement works at government venues like upgrade of technology standard and full replacement of copper wires with fibre links, the Wi-Fi.HK service is now much faster and stable. The connection speed for hotspots under the Wi-Fi.HK brand has increased significantly to reach over 20 megabits per second (Mbps) on average, enabling smooth viewing of online videos.

The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer has also set up high-speed access points at ten popular tourist attractions with a view to enhancing visitors' travel experience in Hong Kong. These access points with access speed of up to 100 Mbps are located at Kowloon Visitor Centre at Star Ferry Concourse in Tsim Sha Tsui, Temple Street Pai Lau in Jordan, Tai Kwun, Peak Road Garden, Hong Kong Wetland Park Visitor Centre, Repulse Bay Beach, Stanley Promenade, Golden Bauhinia Square, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port and Ngong Ping Road Interchange.

The Department of Management and Marketing of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University conducted user experience surveys on Wi-Fi.HK in the past two years. According to the survey completed at the end of last year, 70 per cent of the respondents have given a score of 5 or above (on a 7-point scale) on the overall satisfaction to service performance, while the mean score of connection speed has increased from 4.9 in 2018 to 5.1 in 2019. Over 87 per cent of the respondents indicated that they would continue to use Wi-Fi.HK service and more than 90 per cent would recommend the service to their friends.

Dr Ken Wong who was in charge of the survey said that the survey results reflected the Government's good efforts in promoting the Wi-Fi.HK brand. The respondents are generally satisfied with the Wi-Fi.HK service, giving a satisfaction rating similar to those for telecommunications services in other advanced cities and regions.

Local residents and visitors can enjoy free Wi-Fi.HK service without any registration. They may download the Wi-Fi.HK mobile app or visit Wi-Fi.HK website (www.wi-fi.hk) to search for nearby hotspots and service details.

Ends/Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Issued at HKT 14:00

User Experience Surveys of Wi-Fi.HK were carried out by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University during the period from 2018 to 2019. The summary is provided as below.

A User Experience Survey of Wi-Fi.HK was carried out by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University from May to June 2019. The summary is provided as below.

In 2018, a User Experience Survey of Wi-Fi.HK was carried out by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and a User Satisfaction Survey was conducted through the landing page of Wi-Fi service at government venues. The summaries are provided as below.

The Performance Assurance Exercise was carried out by an independent party at Wi-Fi.HK hotspots by on-site service check during January to July 2018.

Today (20 June) is The World Wi-Fi Day 2018! Many cities and organisations participate in this global initiative by facilitating the provision of Wi-Fi service, thus enabling convenient access to the Internet.

Article on Wi-Fi.HK: https://worldwifiday.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Case-Study-Wi-Fi-Connected-City-Programme-Hong-Kongfinal.pdf
Service of Wi-Fi.HK: https://worldwifiday.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Wi-Fi.HK-Offer-for-the-World-Wi-Fi-Dayfinal.pdf
Video of Wi-Fi.HK: https://youtu.be/YqGZuwFau-Y
Wi-Fi hotspot locations: https://wi-fi.hk/en/Hotspot/Location
World Wi-Fi Day: https://worldwifiday.com/

The Wi-Fi Connected City Building Wi-Fi.HK Together promotion day and commendation ceremony held on 17 August, which announced the launch of the Wi-Fi.HK pilot Public-Private Collaboration (PPC) project at government venues, signifying a milestone for the common brand Wi-Fi.HK. Dr David Chung, Under Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Ir. Allen Yeung, Government Chief Information Officer, Hon Charles MOK, Legislative Councillor (Information Technology Functional Constituency)and other guests officiated the ceremony.

At the Wi-Fi Connected City Building Wi-Fi.HK Together promotion day and commendation ceremony held today (August 17), the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) announced the launch of the Wi-Fi.HK pilot Public-Private Collaboration (PPC) project at government venues, signifying a milestone for the common brand Wi-Fi.HK.

The ceremony was held on the fourth floor of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre which is among the first batch of government venues to offer free public Wi-Fi service under the PPC arrangement. Other venues include the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum, Shatin Town Hall, Man Kam To Control Point, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and the Hong Kong Coliseum.

Addressing the ceremony, the Under Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Dr David Chung, said, "We shall open up more suitable government venues through public-private collaboration for private service providers to install equipment and provide Wi-Fi service with free usage time at their own cost. Private service providers are allowed to offer value-added services at these venues without any financing from the Government while the public and tourists can enjoy free Wi‑Fi service. This arrangement is favourable to all."

The four service providers will extend the free public Wi-Fi service to more government venues in the coming months, including other floors of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, sitting-out areas in parks, public transport interchanges, land boundary control points and markets.

Dr Chung noted that building Hong Kong into a Wi-Fi Connected City not only facilitates public access to real-time information and enables users to keep in touch with families and friends, but also helps develop more innovative, efficient and convenient digital services in various sectors in Hong Kong. The move will be conducive to making Hong Kong a smart city.

Since 2014, public Wi-Fi service has been available for free usage by local residents and tourists under the Wi-Fi.HK scheme at various locations across the territory, and the coverage continues to expand. The download rate for Wi-Fi.HK mobile app has also exceeded 240 000, marking the successful collaboration between government and public organisations/private sector. There are at present over 19 800 Wi-Fi hotspots provided by some 50 participating organisations, covering places such as campuses of tertiary institutions, tourism attractions, cultural and sports venues, entertainment and leisure venues, government and public organisation offices, shopping centres, telephone booths and restaurants.

To facilitate students in using Internet resources for study after school, the OGCIO launched a subsidy scheme in March this year and invited applications from non-profit-making organisations for providing free Wi-Fi service at their youth service centres and study rooms. Related Wi-Fi service is being gradually launched by these organisations with approved funding.

Ends/Thursday, August 17, 2017
Issued at HKT 16:09

The World Wi-Fi Day 2017 will be held on 20 June 2017. Many cities and organisations will be participating in this international event to celebrate the significant role of Wi-Fi in getting cities and communities around the world connected.

Article on Wi-Fi.HK: http://worldwifiday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Case-Study-Wi-Fi-Connected-City-Programme-Hong-Kong.pdf
Service of Wi-Fi.HK: http://worldwifiday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Wi-Fi.HK-Offer-for-the-World-Wi-Fi-DayUPDATE.pdf
Wi-Fi hotspot locations: http://wi-fi.hk/en/Hotspot/Location
World Wi-Fi Day: http://worldwifiday.com/

Public Awareness Seminar on WiFi Security 2016 concluded in 13 August with internet security experts shared tips about WiFi safety, demonstrated how hackers retrieve data from smartphone. The result of Hong Kong WiFi Security Survey this year was presented in the Seminar and it shows that the security of WiFi in HK are satisfactory in general. Details of the report can be downloaded at www.safewifi.hk.

The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer together with the Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association (WTIA) held the "Building Up Wi-Fi.HK Through Collaboration" Pledging Ceremony today (March 31). The event called for the active participation of public and private organisations in promoting free public Wi-Fi service with the Government through the Wi-Fi.HK scheme to facilitate easy access to the Internet by the public.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Under Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Dr David Chung, said that the numbers of free hotspots, participating organisations and mobile app downloads of Wi-Fi.HK have increased in multiples since the scheme was launched more than a year ago. It serves as solid proof of the enormous potential in the development of public Wi-Fi service in Hong Kong through public and private collaboration.

Dr Chung said, "The result will be limited if the Government is working alone in building a Wi-Fi connected city. We hope that private organisations will continue to introduce free Wi-Fi service in different private venues other than government venues in future."

At the ceremony, the WTIA announced the result of a survey on Wi-Fi demand it commissioned earlier this month. The findings showed the keen demand for mobile data by the public. The public also recognised the convenience free public Wi-Fi service has brought to them and expected more free Wi-Fi hotspots to be set up at places such as public transport interchanges, tourist spots, parks, hospitals and public rental housing estates.

In light of the implementation of measures to add free hotspots at venues with high patronage, youth service centres and study rooms as announced in the Policy Address and the Budget this year, Dr Chung said he expects that Hong Kong's free Wi-Fi service will better serve the public's needs and, at the same time, encourage various industries in Hong Kong to ride on innovation and technology as the key driving force for new economy development and exploration of business opportunities.

Representatives of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, the Hospital Authority and telecommunications operators also shared their experience in joining the Wi-Fi.HK scheme. Some of them noted the adoption of server e-certificates to assist users in the validation of the identity of service providers in order to minimise the risk of accessing bogus Wi-Fi.HK service. Other Wi-Fi.HK participating organisations will gradually adopt the same measure to enhance service security.

Hong Kong's common branding of Wi-Fi.HK was launched in August 2014 through collaboration of the Government with the industry. There are currently over 17 000 free hotspots in place. With the recent participation of Ocean Park and some government departments and related organisations, the number of participating organisations has increased to 30. The Hospital Authority launched a pilot project last year to provide one-hour of free public Wi-Fi service at public areas of six public hospitals such as waiting halls of their Accident and Emergency Departments and Specialist Out-Patient Clinics through public and private collaboration. The service will be extended to all public hospitals in future.

"The Government will continue to invite more organisations to join the scheme and provide free Wi-Fi services at places frequently visited by the public, such as shopping malls, private hospitals and bus stops, so as to further expand the Wi-Fi.HK free hotspot network," Dr Chung added.

For details of the Wi-Fi.HK scheme and hotspots, please visit the thematic website (www.wi-fi.hk), or download and install the Wi-Fi.HK mobile app.


Ends/Thursday, March 31, 2016
Issued at HKT 16:45

Jointly organised by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association (WTIA), the "Building Up Wi-Fi.HK Through Collaboration" Pledging Ceremony was held on 31 March 2016. Dr. David Chung, the Under Secretary for Innovation and Technology, gave a welcome speech in the event. Representatives of participating organisations also shared their partnership with Wi-Fi.HK in the event also. The event brought together both private enterprises and public organisations together in an effort to create more freely accessible Wi-Fi hotspots around Hong Kong.

To raise the Hong Kong general public's awareness on WiFi security , Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association (WTIA) introduces SafeWiFi Campaign and set up the website www.SafeWiFi.hk, providing information and news that are related to WiFi security, and videos which introduce to the public the practical set-up of a secured WiFi environment . WTIA also cooperates with Professional Information Security Association (PISA) to implement surveys on the security of Wireless LAN in Hong Kong and other education activities.

The number of hotspots under Hong Kong's common Wi-Fi brand, Wi-Fi.HK, has risen to over 12 000 across the 18 districts in the territory, providing convenient and free public Wi-Fi services to the public and visitors.

Launched last August, Wi-Fi.HK is a collaborative scheme of the Government and the industry to promote public Wi-Fi services in Hong Kong.

A spokesman for the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer said today (February 12), "Recently, a total of 12 universities and tertiary institutions, members of the Joint Universities Computer Centre, namely the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Lingnan University, the Hong Kong Institute of Education, the Open University of Hong Kong, the Vocational Training Council, Tung Wah College and Hang Seng Management College, have joined the scheme. Ngong Ping 360 Limited is also partnering with Wi-Fi.HK to offer free Wi-Fi services at its cable car terminals and Ngong Ping Village."

He added, "Together with additional hotspots provided by existing participating organisations, including the Wi-Fi hotspots under the Government Wi-Fi Programme (GovWiFi), the number of Wi-Fi.HK hotspots has been increased from the original 5 000 at the launch of the scheme to the current figure of over 12 000."

At present, Wi-Fi.HK hotspots can be found in various parts of Hong Kong, covering the Hong Kong International Airport, major tourist attractions, public phone booths, shopping centres, restaurants, cafés, convenience stores, college campuses, clinics, Cyberport, the Hong Kong Science Park and GovWiFi premises.

The existing participating organisations include Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT) Limited, Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited, Hutchison Global Communications Limited, Y5ZONE Limited, Airport Authority Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation and Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited.

Members of the public and visitors can enjoy completely free or at least 30 minutes' free public Wi-Fi services by simply connecting to the Wi-Fi.HK network with their smartphones or mobile devices at venues with the Wi-Fi.HK signage. No prior registration is required.

The spokesman expressed gratitude to the Wi-Fi operators as well as public and private organisations for their enthusiastic support and participation in the Wi-Fi.HK scheme.

He noted that the Government will continue to promote and invite more public and private organisations to join the scheme with a view to providing more free Wi-Fi hotspots for the public and visitors and further advancing Hong Kong's position as a highly connected city.

"Through partnership with Wi-Fi operators in a pilot project, five public hospitals under the Hospital Authority (Caritas Medical Centre, Hong Kong Eye Hospital, Kwong Wah Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Yan Chai Hospital) are now providing one-hour free public Wi-Fi services at public areas such as waiting halls of their Accident and Emergency Departments and specialist out-patient clinics.

"Ocean Park has also accepted our invitation to join the Wi-Fi.HK scheme and will launch free Wi-Fi service in the park area in the third quarter of this year," he said.

For details of the free Wi-Fi hotspots, please download and install the Wi-Fi.HK mobile app or visit the thematic website (www.wi-fi.hk).

Ends/Thursday, February 12, 2015
Issued at HKT 14:30

Mr. John Tsang, Financial Secretary; Mr. Gregory So, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development; and representatives of participating organisations officiated at the launching of the Wi-Fi.HK brand.

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkYMU2wArnU&list=UUOpcb9hHS3Kb7tKtflkMB1g (Cantonese version)

Hong Kong's common Wi-Fi brand, Wi-Fi.HK, was officially launched today (August 5) to make it easier for the public and visitors to identify free Wi-Fi hotspots in the territory, and to further enhance Hong Kong's position as a highly connected city.

Starting from today, the public and visitors can get connected for free if they can access Wi-Fi hotspots under the identifier named "Wi-Fi.HK" with their smartphones or mobile devices, or at places with the Wi-Fi.HK signage. The Wi-Fi service provided is either completely free or free for at least 30 minutes. No registration is required.

The Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, together with the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, officiated at the launching of the Wi-Fi.HK brand.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Mr Tsang said that it is important to have convenient and free public Wi-Fi service to enable the use of various types of mobile apps anytime and anywhere. Wi-Fi.HK provides precisely this necessary connection. It enables the public and visitors to get easy and convenient access to online information from the Internet and enjoy the efficiency brought about by information and communications technology.

Mr Tsang was encouraged by the enthusiastic support and participation of Wi-Fi operators as well as public and private organisations towards the branding scheme. He said he hoped that through promoting this common brand, the development of public Wi-Fi service in Hong Kong will further expand.

To date, participating organisations of the Wi-Fi.HK brand include Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT) Limited, Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited, Hutchison Global Communications Limited, Y5ZONE Limited, Airport Authority Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation and Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited.

More than 5 000 hotspots are now available under the Wi-Fi.HK brand, including Wi-Fi hotspots under the Government Wi-Fi Programme (GovWiFi). Wi-Fi.HK provides free Wi-Fi service across the city covering Hong Kong International Airport, tourist attractions, public telephone booths, shopping centres, cafés, restaurants, convenience stores, Cyberport, the Science Park and GovWiFi premises.

The public and visitors can use the Wi-Fi.HK mobile app and the positioning function of their mobile devices to locate free public Wi-Fi hotspots in their vicinity, or they can use the app to search for hotspots by district, venue type or keyword. The Wi-Fi.HK thematic website (www.wi-fi.hk) also provides information on free public Wi-Fi hotspots under Wi-Fi.HK and details of the brand.

Under the Digital 21 Strategy, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) will continue to promote development of public Wi-Fi service by the public and private sectors. Apart from extending GovWiFi to more government premises, the OGCIO also assists public and private organisations, such as the Hospital Authority, to collaborate with Wi-Fi operators to provide Wi-Fi service that is either completely free or free for a limited period of time, and aims to achieve the goal of "Connected City, Connecting People" in Hong Kong.

Ends/Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:06

A common brand identity to promote Wi-Fi services that are provided either completely free of charge or free for a limited period of time by the public and private sectors in Hong Kong was unveiled today (April 20).

The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) had commissioned the Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association to engage Hong Kong citizens in choosing a common Wi-Fi brand through online voting. Over 10 000 votes were cast during the voting period from March 24 to April 6. The selected design had obtained the highest number of votes.

The Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, unveiled the winning brand identity at the closing ceremony of International IT Fest 2014 today.

The Wi-Fi brand, with the name "Wi-Fi.HK" and a unique brand identity, is set to make it easier for the public and visitors to identify free Wi-Fi hotspots in the territory, and enhance Hong Kong's position as a highly-connected city.

The "Wi-Fi.HK" brand has been well supported by the industry. To date, participating organisations include Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT) Limited, Hutchison Global Communications Limited, Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited, Y5Zone Limited, Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation. More than 3 500 hotspots are placed under the "Wi-Fi.HK" brand, including Wi-Fi services that are provided free of charge or free for a limited period of time by the public and private sectors as well as Wi-Fi hotspots under the Government Wi-Fi Programme.

For the design and details of the common Wi-Fi brand, please visit OGCIO website.

The OGCIO will continue to invite related organisations to join the "Wi-Fi.HK" family and increase the number of Wi-Fi hotspots under the brand. A thematic website and mobile app will be launched in mid-2014 to facilitate the public and visitors in locating "Wi-Fi.HK" hotspots.

Ends/Sunday, April 20, 2014
Issued at HKT 15:56

The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) is inviting the public to participate in choosing a common brand for free Wi-Fi services in Hong Kong.

Speaking on the voting process, a spokesman for the OGCIO said today (March 24), "The Government is collaborating with the industry to set up a common brand for promoting the Wi-Fi services that are provided either completely free of charge or free for a limited period of time by the public and private sectors in Hong Kong.

"The Wi-Fi brand, with a common brand name and a unique identity, will make it easier for the public and visitors to identify the free Wi-Fi hotspots in the territory, and enhance Hong Kong's position as a highly connected city," he said.

OGCIO has provided a total of five brand identities for the public to vote for online. The one with the highest number of votes will be adopted as the common Wi-Fi brand. For details of the designs, please see Annex.

"The common Wi-Fi brand is meant for every Hong Kong citizen. So we hope to engage the public in the selection process," the spokesman added.

Members of the public can select their favourite brand identity by casting their vote on the OGCIO website.

The public voting is open today and will continue until April 6. The result will be announced by late April.

Ends/Monday, March 24, 2014
Issued at HKT 14:39