While most telecommunications technology developed lately throughout the last few years has mainly concentrated on mobile phones, the Internet and networking, developers have been neglecting the fixed-line services. This has finally been proven not the case, when Hong Kong-based telecommunications company PCCW launched a new generation of fixed-line services that redefine the traditional telephone network and keep Hong Kong at the forefront of developments in telecommunications technology last Thursday, on 17th July, 2003.

The new services have never previously been available over the traditional telephone network and will fundamentally change the way people use their telephones at home or workplace. It will be offered to all fixed-line customers in Hong Kong at the same monthly fee as the standard voice line.

PCCW customers will be able to send and receive fixed-line SMS in English and Chinese, access a voice-activated phonebook stored on the network using speech recognition to make phone calls, and use a voice-activated, 7x24 automatic reception and call routing service.

The fixed-line SMS application runs on an exclusive SMS phone set that supports traditional Chinese characters as well as English text input and display. The phone's display screen is 3.5 inches wide, offering an easier interface for users. Apart from sending and receiving SMS to and from fixed-line and mobile phones, customers can retrieve news, weather, stock quotes, financial commentary and other content, with more features to be added later, PCCW's spokesperson said.

In a few months, PCCW business customers will be able to integrate multiple ways of communication - voice telephony, email, voicemail and fax - using a single web-based user interface.

This groundbreaking enhancement to Hong Kong’s telecommunications network will further strengthen the city’s status as a key technology hub in Asia. It also demonstrates PCCW's ongoing commitment to invest in Hong Kong.

PCCW Chief Operating Officer Mike Butcher said: "PCCW continues to develop cutting-edge technologies that enrich the lives of our customers while ensuring Hong Kong is at the forefront of telecoms innovation. This sets us apart from our competitors in the fixed-line sector."

"From now on, people will look at their telephone in a completely different way. These new technologies bring the regular fixed-line telephone into the world of information communications technology - moving into a space previously exclusive to the mobile phone, the PC and the PDA," he said.

The fixed-line SMS phone also has a broadcast feature, allowing closed user groups to broadcast notices or messages to a selected target base. "Swire Homes - The Orchards" of Swire Properties and Bank of East Asia will be the first to adopt this feature to communicate with their residents and customers.

We at iMobile would be very interested to see when this technology will be implemented to the rest of the world. =)