OFCA and telecommunications industry join hands in launching new voice alert service to help public guard against suspicious calls
The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) today (December 30) announced that starting from tomorrow (December 31), local mobile service providers will send voice alerts to local mobile and fixed services users for calls made from newly activated local prepaid SIM cards to further assist the public in staying vigilant against suspicious calls.
"Under the new measure, when local mobile and fixed services users answer calls made from newly activated local pre-paid SIM cards, mobile service providers will first play a voice alert message stating, 'This call is made from a new pre-paid SIM card,' before the call is connected, to raise users' awareness of suspicious calls. The alert message service is provided by mobile service providers free of charge. Users are not required to register in advance, install any mobile apps, or make any settings to their mobile phones or fixed-line phones," a spokesman for OFCA said.
To safeguard the integrity of telecommunications services and the security of communications networks, OFCA has been working closely with telecommunications service providers and law enforcement agencies to devise and implement a series of measures to tackle the problem at its source. These include the full implementation of the Real-name Registration Programme for SIM Cards, the introduction and expansion of the SMS Sender Registration Scheme, the provision of voice or text alert service for incoming calls from outside Hong Kong with caller numbers prefixed with "+852", the blocking of suspected fraudulent phone numbers and websites based on the information provided by the Police, and requiring telecommunications service providers to continuously optimise their network management and promptly suspend the service of suspicious phone numbers, in order to comprehensively combat fraudulent calls and messages.
The spokesman reminded members of the public to always stay vigilant when using telecommunications services. They should not answer unknown calls casually, and should not disclose personal information or transfer money to unknown callers whose identities have not been verified to prevent potential losses.
OFCA will continue to collaborate with the telecommunications industry and law enforcement agencies in implementing various measures to combat phone and SMS scams, as well as to strengthen public education and publicity efforts to more comprehensively disseminate anti-deception messages to all members of the public. To enhance public understanding of the new voice alert service, OFCA has launched a new series of television and radio announcements in the public interest to promote the measure. The public may also visit OFCA's thematic website for more information on preventing phone scams.
New requirements for mandatory fitting and wearing of seat belts and placing of mobile telecommunications devices while driving to be implemented from January 25
The Government today (January 8) reminded members of the public that, starting from January 25, all public transport and commercial vehicles' seated passengers must wear seat belts, and all drivers must not place more than two mobile telecommunications devices (MTDs) in front of them during driving, further enhancing road, passenger and driving safety.
All passenger's seats in public and private buses, rear passenger's seats in private light buses and goods vehicles (GVs), and driver's seats and all passenger's seats of special purpose vehicles (SPVs) must be equipped with seat belts in these vehicles first registered on or after January 25. Drivers and passengers occupying the seats of these vehicles (whether newly registered or not), where seat belts are fitted, are required to wear them. Studies show that wearing seat belts will reduce the risk of death and serious injury of drivers and passengers in head-on collisions by about 40 per cent and 70 per cent respectively.
Offending vehicle owners, drivers or passengers will be liable to a maximum fine of $5,000 and imprisonment for up to three months. All passengers occupying seats shall be responsible for wearing seat belts. Among them, any driver who still drives with a passenger aged under 15 seated in the rear seat of a GV or the passenger's seat of an SPV without wearing a seat belt will be subject to a maximum fine of $2,000.
The Government noted that the transport trades are ready for the new requirements. In franchised buses, all seats in newly procured buses have been equipped with seat belts. Together with existing double-deck buses retrofitted with seat belts on the upper-deck seats by operators under government subsidy, to date, around 3500 buses are now equipped with seat belts, representing about 60 per cent of the entire fleet in Hong Kong.
In addition, from the same day onwards, any driver must not place more than two MTDs (i.e. mobile phones, tablet computers or laptop computers) in front of them during driving. The diagonal length of each screen must not exceed 19 centimetres. The MTDs must not obstruct the driver's view of the road and traffic, as well as any mirror, device or camera-monitor fitted for viewing the roads. Offenders will be liable to a maximum fine of $2,000.
The Government has stepped up publicity and public education since November 2025. The Transport Department (TD) has strengthened collaboration with the Police, the Education Bureau, the Information Services Department, the Road Safety Council and the transport trades including public transport operators to introduce the legal requirements through websites, videos, media, social media, the "e-Bulletin for Parents" and publicity posters on traffic signal controllers across various districts. Franchised bus operators have also strengthened publicity and broadcast inside compartments and at bus stops to alert passengers to the new requirement of wearing seat belts.
Members of the public may refer to the TD's webpage on the new requirements on seat belts (www.td.gov.hk/en/road_safety/sb) and placing MTDs during driving (www.td.gov.hk/en/road_safety/mtd) or the Agent T Facebook page (www.facebook.com/AgentT.hk), or call the hotline 28042600 for details.
New requirements for mandatory fitting and wearing of seat belts and placing of mobile telecommunications devices while driving to be implemented from January 25 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
New requirements for mandatory fitting and wearing of seat belts and placing of mobile telecommunications devices while driving to be implemented from January 25 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
New requirements for mandatory fitting and wearing of seat belts and placing of mobile telecommunications devices while driving to be implemented from January 25 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
New requirements for mandatory fitting and wearing of seat belts and placing of mobile telecommunications devices while driving to be implemented from January 25 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
