Hong Kong and Singapore: Two models of telecommunications regulations?

This paper examines how telecommunications regulation in Hong Kong and Singapore has evolved since the 1970s and in particular, how the boundaries between the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors have been increasingly blurred as the two cities have responded to technical convergence. By analysing the telecommunications regulation development in Hong Kong and Singapore, this paper argues that technological convergence has not necessarily led to identical models of telecommunications regulation. Rather, the authors demonstrate the differences existing in the areas of sector-specific regulation, multiple regulators and competition law, in spite of the fact that in recent years, the government role has become increasingly similar in these two Asian cities.