PCCW-HKT Telephone Limited (Traditional Chinese: 香港電話有限公司), formerly Hong Kong Telephone Company Limited and Cable & Wireless HKT Telephone Limited, is a leading fixed-line telecommunication provider in Hong Kong to provide fixed-line telephone, telephone booth, broadband services. It is a subsidiary of PCCW.
1877: Telephone was introduced in the British Colony of Hong Kong, one year after Alexander Graham Bell patented his invention.
1882: First public telephone service was introduced into the colony by Oriental Telephone and Electric Company (Traditional Chinese: 東方電話電力公司) which later became China and Japan Telephone and Electric Company (Traditional Chinese: 中日電話電力公司).
1925: China and Japan Telephone and Electric Company was acquired by Hong Kong Telephone Company Limited (HKTC). The then Colonial Government granted HKTC the sole right to supply and operate telephone services in Hong Kong for a period of 50 years.
1968: The Government of Hong Kong extended HKTC's franchise for a further period of 20 years with effect from 1975.
1981: Optical fibre cables were deployed in the local telephone network throughout the colony by HKTC.
1984: First public mobile telephone service was introduced by Communication Services Limited (CSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of HKTC. At this year, HKTC was acquired by Cable & Wireless.
1988: Hong Kong Telecommunications Limited was formed by merger of HKTC and Cable and Wireless (Hong Kong) Limited. It replaced Hong Kong Telephone Company to be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the member of Hang Seng Index Constituent Stocks (blue-chip).
1990: Hong Kong Telecommunications Limited was restructured to four wholly owned operating companies: Hong Kong Telephone Company Limited (HKTC), Hong Kong Telecom International Limited (formerly Cable and Wireless (Hong Kong) Limited), Hong Kong Telecom CSL Limited and Computasia Limited.
1995: HKTC's franchise was expired and HKTC was no longer the only telecommunication service provider in Hong Kong.
1999: HKTC changed its name to Cable & Wireless HKT Telephone Limited.
2000: Pacific Century CyberWorks acquired Cable & Wireless HKT. HKTC was renamed to PCCW-HKT Telephone Limited.
2005: PCCW-HKT Telephone acquired a majority share of Sunday Communications Limited on behalf of PCCW.
2008: PCCW-HKT Telephone Limited launched CDMA2000 mobile service in Hong Kong on behalf of PCCW.
According to the leaked document, undersea cabling company Reach – a joint venture of Telstra (then 50.1 percent-owned by the Australian Government) and PCCW, a Hong Kong corporation – had to send all communications to or from US to a storage facility “physically located in the United States, from which Electronic Surveillance can be conducted pursuant to Lawful US Process.” The document also specifies the facility should be run exclusively by US FBI staff.
Cable & Wireless
PCCW
Hong Kong Telecom
Hong Kong CSL Limited
Sunday Communications Limited
