Hong Kong outlines telecoms and broadcast plans for next five years
Hong Kong's commerce and economic development chief briefed lawmakers on the city's first five-year plan and 2026 policy address, focusing on 6G, low-orbit satellite licensing, drone spectrum rules, and broadcast deregulation to align with national strategies.
Hong Kong's Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development briefed the Legislative Council's Panel on Information Technology and Broadcasting on 6 October on the city's first five-year plan and the 2026 policy address, outlining measures to develop telecommunications and broadcasting in line with the national 15th five-year plan.
On telecommunications, the government aims to promote 6G network construction in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ahead of commercial 6G services expected in 2030. The Office of the Communications Authority has been in close contact with the national Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on spectrum planning and is leading Hong Kong's industry participation in a Greater Bay Area 6G industrial development cooperation platform. The government will encourage cross-border 6G trials, including for low-orbit satellites and low-altitude economy applications.
In spectrum management, the government has conducted four rounds of spectrum auctions in the past two years and will accelerate the orderly shutdown of existing 3G networks by end-2027 to free up spectrum for next-generation technologies. For low-orbit satellite development, the government has completed preliminary work to simplify licensing from a 'one licence per satellite' model to a 'one licence per constellation' system, with detailed arrangements to be announced by end-2026. The Communications Authority will assist satellite operators in international coordination of orbital and spectrum use.
For low-altitude economy, the Communications Authority introduced a licensing regime for drone-specific spectrum in October 2025, aligned with mainland China's spectrum planning to facilitate cross-border drone operations. The government will also expand mobile network coverage through subsidy schemes for rural areas, requiring new buildings to reserve space for mobile facilities, installing base stations on government sites, and coordinating fixed and mobile network construction for new development areas.
On broadcasting, the government will deregulate the sector by consulting on proposals to relax programme and advertising codes, aiming to complete the review by mid-2027. Radio Television Hong Kong will enhance its role as a public broadcaster by strengthening news and current affairs content on RTHK TV 32, expanding use of new media platforms and artificial intelligence to improve production quality and efficiency, and deepening cooperation with broadcasters in mainland China and other Belt and Road regions to tell national and Hong Kong stories from a Hong Kong perspective.