Public Voting for “Best .hk Website Awards 2016” is Open Now!

Cast your votes and win fantastic prizes

HONG KONG, 18 January 2017 –– Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) announced the commencement of public voting for the “Best .hk Website Awards 2016” (the Awards) today. From now till 8 February 2017(12:00nn), Hong Kong citizens can cast their votes in the “Most liked .hk websites” Award and enter a lucky draw for a chance to win a Lenovo IdeaPad 100S 14” Laptop, an Ultimate Ears UE ROLL Bluetooth Speaker, and a Xiaomi Mi Band 2.

This year, a total of 476 website entries have been enrolled, including 262 entries in the “Commercial” award category, 71 entries in the “Non-commercial” award category, 89 entries in the “Government Department” award category and 54 entries in the “LegCo Member” award category. Among those entries, 30 top-ranking websites have been short-listed for public voting, including 10 entries from “Commercial” entities, eight entries from non-commercial organisations and 12 entries from government departments. These 30 websites will compete for the “The Most Liked .hk Website Award” in each award category.

“This year marks the 8th year of “Best .hk Website Awards 2016”. Since 2008, we have witnessed the unwavering efforts of various industry sectors in website development, continuing to meet new heights of technology standards.” said Mr Leo Lam, CEO of HKIRC. “The “Best .hk Website Awards” has evolved into a well-established platform for various sectors in the local community to showcase their innovation and technology know-how, embracing digital technology to develop outstanding .hk websites and excel in their industry sectors.”

In the following stage, panels of judges will conduct final assessments of the shortlisted websites based on four judging criteria: overall website design and functionality, engagement, use of social media, and accessibility. Public voting results will account for 10% of the overall assessment, while the remaining 90% will be determined by the judging panels. Winning companies will be notified in March, while the results of the awards will be announced in April 2017.

From now till 8 February, 2017, Hong Kong citizens aged 18 years or above can visit www.bestwebsite.hk to vote for up to three of their favourite .hk websites in each award category. Voters will enter the lucky draw automatically. Results of the lucky draw will be announced on 20 March 2017 on the Awards website, as well as Sing Tao Daily and The Standard.

For more details on the Best .hk Website Awards, please visit www.bestwebsite.hk or follow the HKIRC Facebook page for latest updates.

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Cast your votes and win an Apple TV
Public Voting for “Best .hk Website Awards 2015” is Open!

HONG KONG, 22 January 2016 –– To promote public awareness in the competitive edge of a good website, Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) announced the commencement of public voting for the “Best .hk Website Awards 2015” (the Awards) on 22nd January for a period up to 12th February, 2016 (12 noon). Hong Kong citizens not only have the chance to vote for their favourite .hk websites but also to win an Apple TV!

“The Awards helps set the benchmark of the best .hk websites for public recognition. Over the years, we have been seeing improvements in website design, functionality, user-friendliness, and security” said Mr Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC, “We are glad that most websites have mobile version while a number of government websites have started using social media to publish latest information and engage the citizens.”

There are a total of 504 website entries this year including 319 entries from the “Commercial” stream and 48 entries from the “Non-commercial” stream.

Ten websites under the “Commercial” stream, 10 websites under the “Non-commercial” stream and 12 websites under the “Government Department” stream were shortlisted for public voting. The Awards is expected to honour nearly 30 websites over four streams (Gold, Silver and Bronze awards for each stream), as well as “The Most Honorable Award”, “The Most Liked .hk Website Award”, “The Best New Website”, and “The Best Nominator Award”.

After the public voting, the shortlisted websites will be evaluated by the judging panels on four criteria: overall website design and functionality, engagement, use of social media, and accessibility. Public voting results will account for 10% of the overall score, while 90% of the overall score will be determined by the judging panels. Winners will be announced in April 2016.

Starting from 22nd January till 12th February, 2016, Hong Kong citizens aged 18 years or above can visit www.bestwebsite.hk to vote for three of their favourite .hk websites in each stream. Voters will enter a lucky draw automatically, and will have the chance to win an Apple TV. Results of the lucky draw will be announced on 14 March 2016 on the Awards website, as well as Hong Kong Standard and Sing Tao Daily.

For more details on the Best .hk Website Awards, please visit www.bestwebsite.hk. You may also join HKIRC’s Facebook for the latest news and updates.

Sponsor

Hong Kong,16 Sept 2015–Hong Kong Domain Name Registration Company Limited (HKDNR) today announced the launch of Two-factor Authentication (2FA), enhancing security for protecting .hk domain name against cyberattacks such as website defacement and domain name poisoning.

Data breaches, malware and cyberattacks are on the rise. According to the 2015 Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, advanced attackers targeted five out of six large companies in 2014, a 40% increase from 2013, indicating a growing need for a simpler and more effective way to protect critical online assets.

As most businesses rely on the use of a username and password as authentication before accessing secure online information, static password tends to be easily compromised and not providing sufficient protection.

“Two-Factor Authentication is the prevalent approach to protect users against the more sophisticated hacking techniques. Commonly used in the banking industry, the dual mechanism delivers a higher level of security to protect domain name information from being hacked, whilst users reap the benefits of stronger, smarter authentication with the least compromise on user-friendliness and efficiency ” said Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC.

With the new 2FA feature, HKDNR can increase the internet security for its users to reduce the risk of .hk domain name from being maliciously used, resulting in incidents such as website defacement. Users may choose to generate a one-time password through mobile apps, or use dual passwords to access their account.

Hong Kong Domain Name Registration Company Limited (HKDNR), a .hk registrar and wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC), made an early notification of new price to its customers. Registration fees of .hk domain name will be adjusted back to the price levels of 2011. For example, .hk customers can get a second level .hk/ .香港 domain name at HK$250 (currently HK$200) per year. Compared with 2011, there are more value-added services with each .hk registration to cater for different needs. Customers get more than just a .hk domain name but at the old 2011 price.

Adjusted fees of all categories of .hk domain names will be effective on 26 Oct, 2015. New fee schedule is available on the website www.hkdnr.hk .

HKIRC is the registry of the .hk and .香港country-code top level domain names. It does not provide registration services directly to customers. Customers should check with their registrars on latest .hk pricing information.

Most people get positive experience in Sharing Economy, new business model already captured a group of loyal users.

HONG KONG, 13 August 2015 – Research by the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) announced today revealed a new consumption business model that may bring new business opportunities and challenges to the traditional model. The results were announced at the 2015 Digital Marketplace Seminar “Sharing Economy – Opportunities and Threats?” Ir. Allen Yeung, Government Chief Information Officer, HKSAR Government, was the officiating guest at this annual event.

The global digital marketplace is progressing into a new era characterised by the sharing economy, in which almost every possible commodity can be purchased, sold or shared online. Conducted in July, the survey was based on data from 1,447 respondents from a random sample of 120,000 Internet users in Hong Kong. The survey aimed to understand what people think Sharing Economy would mean to them, as well as the market opportunities and its benefits for Hong Kong as a whole. It also attempted to add insights to the Sharing Economy by studying users’ behavior and their motivation to participate. The following are some key findings:

  1. Nearly 30% of internet users in Hong Kong have taken part in Sharing Economy
    Of those responses, nearly 30% has taken part in sharing activities more than 8 times a year. At the same time, nearly 50% is novel users who have engaged 1 to 3 times in sharing activities
  2. Consumer demand is the key driver
    82% of the respondents are consumers in the sharing economic activities, indicating sharing activities become new consumption behavior in Hong Kong. People are looking for effective ways to utilise unused resources. Car sharing, crowdfunding and room/flat sharing are three top sharing activities among all
  3. People have positive experiences in Sharing Economy’s activities.
    Apart from profit-making or cost-saving from sharing resources, majority of respondents found sharing activity interesting and enjoyable. Well-designed platform, trustworthiness and ease of navigation enable smooth consumption collaboration and co-creation process; further encouraging people to participate in the sharing activities. However, safety is the major concern when taking part in Sharing Economy. More education on internet security and user-friendly interface will attract more novel users to experience sharing activities, driving growth of Sharing Economy
  4. Education is key in changing public perception
    The survey reveals significant and positive relationships between past experience, education level and acceptance of Sharing Economy. People with higher education seem to be more likely to adopt Sharing Economy. Furthermore, novel users with good sharing experience are likely to continue to engage in the sharing activities

“Sharing economy is an uprising trend and a new business model globally. Although the survey reveals that a fair amount of Internet users have already been engaged in sharing activities, the phenomenon is still in its early days. The sharing economy has its potential and threats. Instead of taking business away from traditional businesses, sharing economic activities can help reduce wastage and conserve valuable resources, hence changing consumption behavior for betterment of Hong Kong,” said Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC. “As a new consumption model enabled by technology and business innovation, ease-of-use and service quality of the platform play an imperative role to facilitate co-creating and sharing, further enhancing the good attributes of sharing economy experience.”

Apart from Sharing Economy, this study also looked at perception by Internet users of the .hk brand. It was concluded that .hk represents the identity of Hong Kong citizens and is well endorsed by Hongkongers.

At the 2015 Digital Marketplace Seminar “Sharing Economy – Opportunities and Threats?” today, close to 450 participants acquired first-hand market intelligence and explored new opportunities as well as best practices. Guest speakers from Welend.hk, Alibaba.com.hk, lCGX.hk, Aroundhub.com.hk, Adams.com.hk, Jobdoh.com.hk, Gaifongapp.hk, Carshare.hk and Penana.com.hk and other industry leaders shared their opinions on various topics. For details, please read: www.hkirc.hk/dmp/2015/index.html

“We are pleased to see such an enthusiastic response this year. The DMP seminar has again provided an opportunity for local business, SMEs, industry pioneers and participants to exchange views and get first-hand market knowledge on topics such as sharing economy,” said Mr. Shea.


Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC, presenting at 2015 Digital Marketplace Seminar.


Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC, with guests at 2015 Digital Marketplace Seminar.

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Outstanding Websites Across Many Industries Commended

HONG KONG, 21 April, 2015 – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) announced the results of “Best .hk Website Awards 2014” (the Awards) at a Presentation Ceremony at Cyberport today. By rebranding the previous “Top 10 .hk Website Competition”, HKIRC hopes to recognise a wider variety of websites instead of just 10.

“We are excited that the rebranded program has broadened its reach to a larger number of new entrants, whether under the Commercial or Non-commercial Streams, while our past winners enrolled again with enhanced website features,” said Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC. “We are also glad to see more social media attributes embedded in most of the shortlisted websites. New features like a tag function for instant search for keywords, videos and forums are being used on more websites to enhance their interaction with audiences,” he said.

Mr. Victor Lam, the Acting Government Chief Information Officer, was the guest of honour at the ceremony. He said, “The Best .hk Website Awards Presentation Ceremony is one of many exciting events of the International IT Fest 2015 for showcasing Hong Kong’s vibrant developments and achievements in ICT. We are delighted to see how different sectors in Hong Kong have developed creative websites leveraging on .hk domain names branding to develop business opportunities and enhance competitiveness.” He added that “Internet domain names are much more than the addresses of company websites, but an integral part of companies’ brand names and important assets of companies. For small and medium-sized enterprises, Internet domain names are even more important as they could help create business opportunities and establish unique and trust identity of the company on the Internet.”

Having kicked off online enrollment at the end of November last year, the Awards attracted a total of 474 players of which 88 were in “Government Departments”, 57 in “LegCo Members”, 76 in “Non-commercial” and 253 in “Commercial” streams. The Panel of Judges evaluated all entries according to four judging criteria: overall design and functionality, engagement, use of social media and web accessibility. Winners of respective streams strived to enlighten the panel as to the competitive advantages of their websites in their industry, their role in helping their company or organization achieve service excellence and overall benefits for the online community, to name a few.

Ranking Stream
Commercial – Corporate group Commercial – SME group Non Commercial – Corporate group Non Commercial – SME group
Gold Prize www.mtr.com.hk of MTR Corporation Ltd. www.unwire.hk of bMedia Limited www.e123.hk of The Hong Kong Society for the Aged www.goodgoods.hk of Good Goods
Silver Prize www.mabelle.hk of Ma Belle Jewellery Co. Ltd. www.gogovan.com.hk of GoGo Tech Limited www.westkowloon.hk of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority www.eoc.org.hk of Equal Opportunities Commission
Bronze Prize www.pricerite.com.hk of Pricerite Stores Limited www.weshare.hk of WeShare www.cfsc.org.hk of Christian Family Service Centre www.hopeww.org.hk of HOPE worldwide
Ranking Stream
Government Departments Website LegCo Members Website
Gold Prize Co-winners:
www.hko.gov.hk of Hong Kong Observatory
www.rthk.hk of Radio Television Hong Kong
www.reginaip.hk of Hon Mrs Regina IP LAU Suk-yee, GBS, JP
Silver Prize www.ofca.gov.hk of Office of the Communications Authority www.cheungchiuhung.org.hk of Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG Chiu-hung
Bronze Prize Co-winners:
www.hkpl.gov.hk, the Hong Kong Public Library’s website of Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD)
www.icac.org.hk of Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption
www.youth.gov.hk of Efficiency Unit
www.charlesmok.hk of Hon Charles MOK, JP

This year, three new awards were introduced, namely “The Most Honorable Award”, “Most Liked .hk Website” and the “Award for the Most Improved Website”. Having achieved the Gold Prize for three consecutive years, Radio Television Hong Kong’s website, www.rthk.hk and The Hong Kong Society for the Aged – eElderly, www.e123.hk, received “The Most Honorable Award”. The “Most Liked .hk Website” went to the Hong Kong Observatory, www.hko.gov.hk, which alone received nearly 2,000 votes – or more than twice as many as the average number of votes cast online for other websites from the public. The personal website of Hon CHAN Kin-por, BBS, JP, was given the “Award for the Most Improved Website” and will be granted a .hk domain sponsorship.

“We were deeply impressed by the finalists’ presentations,” said Mr. Simon Yeung, Group Publisher of Computerworld Hong Kong, who was on the judging panel of the Commercial and Non-commercial Award Streams. “The winners demonstrated their success in opening up new business opportunities online and offline or gaining community rapport by making use of good website and technologies. Whether it be a commercial or NGO website, I am glad to see that the winning websites bring greater customer satisfaction, becoming good examples to counterparts in the same industry and for the public. We hope they can keep up the momentum and continue to develop superior websites in the years to come.”

“Constant updates on LegCo work progress, well-organised content navigation and easy search for specific information are at the top of our mind,” said Dr. Robin S Bradbeer, Deputy Chairman of HKIRC and the Chairperson of the judging panel for the Government Departments and LegCo Members Streams. “We believe that the general public expect them to take the language barrier for non-Chinese reading groups and the clarity of their LegCo work into account when thinking of future website improvements,” she continued.

To learn more about the award-winning websites, please visit www.bestwebsite.hk

Lucky Draw Result Announcement

The three-week public voting period attracted more than 3,500 Internet users to cast votes for their favorite .hk websites in the Commercial, Non-commercial and Government Department Streams. The lucky draw winner(s) will be notified about how to collect their iPad mini 3 after the lucky draw result announcement is published in the Hong Kong Economic Times and The Standard on 23 April 2015. More details can be found on the official Awards website: www.bestwebsite.hk

The ceremony is one of the signature events of the International IT Fest 2015 organised by the HKSAR Government.


Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) announced the results of “Best .hk Website Awards 2014” (the Awards) at the Presentation Ceremony at Cyberport today

Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) announced the results of “Best .hk Website Awards 2014” (the Awards) at the Presentation Ceremony at Cyberport today


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Vote for your “Most Liked .hk Website” and win an iPad mini 3

HONG KONG, 4 February 2015 – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) announced the commencement of public voting for the “Best .hk Website Awards 2014” (the Awards) previously known as the “Top 10 .hk Website Competition”. From now till 24th February 2015, Hong Kong citizens can vote for their most favourite websites and have a chance to win an iPad mini 3.

“The Awards this year received a new record of 474 entries, representing more than 10 per cent increase compared to last year. There is more competition this year, with websites utilizing a variety of social media tools, tag function and videos for greater interaction with their users,” said Mr Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC. “We are also glad that more large-scale corporations and non-commercial organisations entered the Awards this year, which proves the increasing popularity and recognition of the Awards in the community.”

“To further engage with the public this year, we also launched the new “Most Liked .hk Website Award” to recognize the most popular website that receives the most votes online.” Shea added.

After the initial assessment, 10 websites under the “Commercial” Stream, 11 websites under the “Non-commercial” Stream and 12 websites under the “Government Departments” Stream were shortlisted for public voting.

Moving forward, the Panels of Judges will carry out their assessments for the shortlisted entries based on four criteria: overall website design and functionality, user engagement, use of social media and accessibility. The overall score will be calculated after the public voting, and the outstanding websites will be applauded. The Awards Presentation Ceremony will be held on 21st April 2015 at Cyberport.

From now on, the general public can visit www.bestwebsite.hk to select their favourite .hk websites and vote for up to three websites in each stream. Only Hong Kong citizens aged 18 years or above are eligible to join. Each individual can cast his votes only once. Voters will automatically be enrolled into a lucky draw and have the chance to win an iPad mini 3. The lucky draw result will be announced on 23rd April 2015 on the Awards website, as well as published on Hong Kong Economic Times and The Standard.

Please visit www.bestwebsite.hk for more details.

Cost-effective Way To Protect Online Brand

HONG KONG, 20 January 2015 – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) today announced the launch of .hk WATCH, the first .hk domain name monitoring service for brand owners around the world. With this new service, HKIRC will protect brand owners from possible abuse of their brands.

Cyber security incidents have continued to increase in recent years. According to the latest Global State of Information Security Survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)1, the number of security incidents detected climbed to 42.8 million this year, an increase of 48 per cent from 2013. Domain names are the most important form of online Intellectual Property (IP), as they represent a company’s online identity and business trademark. Therefore, domain name dispute resolution continues to soar. According to the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, 170 out of 463 arbitration cases related to domain names were found in 2013, representing a 46 per cent increase compared to 2012.

1The Global State of Information Security® Survey 2015, http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/consulting-services/information-security-survey/key-findings.jhtml

“Over the past few years, concerns about infringement using domain names has been on the rise, as more and more global brands have discovered that their domain names have been registered for malicious activities,” explained Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC. “Brand infringers or cybersquatters use the brand names maliciously or even mimic a reputable company’s domain name, creating confusion for the public. In return, this impacts a company’s brand reputation, business and customer loyalty.”

The .hk WATCH service closely monitors .hk domain names to identify those which are identical, similar or feature common misspellings of a name, trademark or service mark, as well as those combining prefix/ suffix “wildcards” with trademarks, effectively tackling possible attempts of .hk domain names being used for cybersquatting and typosquatting activities.

This service also provides an initial report for subscribers, showing existing .hk domain names which resemble the brand name(s) or mark(s). The search runs daily, checking for newly registered .hk domain name that meets the search criteria. It keeps brand owners updated in a timely manner, alerting them if there is malicious activity.

“Deploying .hk WATCH is the first step which provides an easy and affordable way for businesses to protect their online Intellectual Property, providing early notification (or warning) of online brand infringement and helping maintain full control over the brand worldwide.” said Shea


Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC launches .hk WATCH service

The newly added “Most Liked .hk Website” award to encourage public engagement

HONG KONG, 20 November 2014 – Building on the success of the “Top10 .hk Website Competition” over the last five years, Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporate Limited (HKIRC) aims to extend its outreach to more online users this year as it rebrands the competition the “Best .hk Website Awards 2014”(the Awards). The Awards, now open for application until 15 January 2015 at 12pm, will promote more outstanding .hk websites in the local Internet community and allows broader scope to recognise as many outstanding .hk websites as deemed appropriate.

 

According to a report on “How Hong Kong Small Businesses Are Growing in the Digital Economy”, those small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) making use of the Internet are more likely to enjoy better business outcomes and have better growth prospects. In particular, the high digitally engaged SMEs enjoy 2.9 times more business growth compared to those which are less digitalised1. Also, according to the Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center (HKCERT), Security incidents in Q3 2014 have climbed 44 per cent compared to the same period last year2. Therefore, it is essential that this Awards helps highlight the latest cyber security concerns to website owners and continue to demonstrate best practice of .hk and .香港 domain names.

 

1How Hong Kong small businesses are growing in the digital economy, by Ipsos Business Consulting.
2Hong Kong Security Watch Report (Q3 2014), by Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre.

 

This year, HKIRC introduces the newly added “Most Liked .hk Website” award to encourage public engagement. This award will be given to the .hk website which attains the most votes cast online. Hong Kong people are allowed to cast votes on shortlisted websites. In addition, due to the growing concern with security threats, HKIRC will continue to exercise the initial security screening process created last year with the aim of promoting a safe Internet environment.

 

“Nowadays, the Internet is an open platform for users to generate and share content. Therefore, having a good website is absolutely necessary for organisations of any scale in any industry. Businesses are also encouraged to embrace technology and leverage their websites for online marketing purposes in order to enhance their competitive edge,” said Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC, “The newly rebranded Awards has provided a valuable opportunity for businesses, organisations and different parties in both private and public service sectors to gather and share knowledge and experience to establish the best practices of outstanding websites.”

“Moving forward, we hope the Awards will raise the overall standard of .hk websites, strengthening the position of Hong Kong as a regional internet hub.”

Some facts about the Awards:

  • Four Awards streams:
    • A: Commercial
      • 100 employees or more
      • Less than 100 employees
    • B: Non-commercial
      • 100 employees or more
      • Less than 100 employees
    • C: Government Departments
    • D: LegCo Members
  • Four judging criteria:
    30% – Overall design and functionality (e.g. good design and ease of navigation)
    30% – Engagement (e.g. online game, etc)
    20% – Use of Social Media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, etc)
    20% -Accessibility (e.g.“Web Care” elements, catering for the needs of the disabled, elderly, etc)
  • Prizes and entitlements to awardees*:
    Stream Award Prize
    A: Commercial Best .hk Commercial Website Award
    (with less than 100 employees) (Gold/ Silver/ Bronze)
    Trophies or certificates, and cash HK$5,000 – HK$15,000
    Best .hk Commercial Website Award
    (with 100 or more employees) (Gold/ Silver/ Bronze)
    Trophies or certificates
    B: Non-commercial Best .hk Non-commercial Website Award
    (with less than 100 employees) (Gold/ Silver/ Bronze)
    Trophies or certificates, and cash HK$5,000 – HK$15,000
    Best .hk Non-commercial Website Award
    (with 100 or more employees) (Gold/ Silver/ Bronze)
    Trophies or certificates, and cash HK$5,000 – HK$15,000
    C: Government Departments Best .hk Government Website Award
    (Gold/ Silver/ Bronze)
    Trophies or certificates
    D: LegCo Members Best .hk LegCo Members Website Award
    (Gold/ Silver/ Bronze)
    Trophies or certificates

    *Winners of other relevant awards such as “The Most Honorable Award”, “Most Liked .hk Website Award”, “The Best Nominator Award” will receive trophies only. Number of awards of all 4 streams to be confirmed.

  • Winners will also be entitled to display the official logo of the Best .hk Website Awards in their promotional materials, participate in various promotional campaigns to publicise their achievements and have an opportunity to participate in sharing, networking and speaking engagements at events.
  • Application period starts today through to 12:00pm on 15 January 2015. Shortlisted websites will be open for public voting from 4 February to 24 February 2015. Results will be announced during 31 March – 1 April 2015 and the awards presentation ceremony will be held tentatively on 22 April 2015.
  • Interested parties can simply apply through www.bestwebsite.hk. (All submitted information should be in typewriting in English or Chinese)

About HKIRC
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

 

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow / Carmen Ip
Tel : 2319 3883 / 2319 3828
Fax : 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

 

LEWIS PR
Cheris Lee
Tel : 3944 5015
Fax : 3944 5001
Email : cheris.lee@lewispr.com

Number of entries reaches new record
Winning websites demonstrate outstanding dedication to community

HONG KONG, 17 April, 2014 – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) announced the results of the fifth Top 10 .hk Website Competition 2013 (the Competition) at the Award Presentation Ceremony in Cyberport today. This year, HKIRC received an overwhelming response with 403 entries in total, representing a 25% increase compared to last year. To recognize the increasing importance of website security, consideration of security has been added in the screening process.

“We are very pleased with the quality and diversity of the entries this year and delighted to see how different sectors in the community have developed well designed and creative websites to market their products and services.” said Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC. ”We are also glad to see that this year’s winning websites demonstrate best practice in the use of the Internet and .hk domain name for their business success, making themselves excellent role models for others to learn from.”

Mr. Daniel Lai, BBS, JP, Government Chief Information Officer, was the guest of honour at the ceremony. He said, “The Top 10 .hk Website Competition is one of the many exciting ICT events of International IT Fest 2014. The Competition sets new benchmarks in outstanding website development for driving the continuous development of the Internet for the benefits of the local community.” He added, “Nowadays, online presence is a business imperative for companies across the world, including SMEs. More and more organisations have successfully used “.hk” domain names to build their Internet branding, improve their sales and create value for their business and customers.”

The Competition attracted a wide range of contestants among the four categories, including 272 entries from the Commercial and Non-commercial categories, 82 entries from the Government Departments category and 49 entries from the LegCo Members category. All of the entries were evaluated according to four judging criteria: overall design and functionality, engagement, use of social media and web accessibility.

Gold Award Winners of Commercial and Non-commercial categories

  • Commercial (corporate group): www.kmb.hk of The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1993) Ltd, the first website from a public bus service company, has a bus route search function with strong interactions and web accessibility functions to let them strike gold for the second consecutive year.
  • Commercial (SME group): www.dealshongkong.hk, the “one-stop-shop” e-platform of Deals Hong Kong offers over thousands of group-buying deals from various daily deal sites. This year, the company further enhanced their website with great accessibility elements, taking them from a silver to gold award this year.
  • Non-commercial (Corporate group): the elderly-friendly website, www.e123.hk of The Hong Kong Society for the Aged has an intuitive way of presenting information, with more web accessibility features added this year, making them a gold award winner again.
  • Non-commercial (SME group): a new local website, www.foodangel.org.hk of Bo Charity Foundation, which was launched just less than a year ago with the mission of “Waste not Hunger not,” has been successful in raising awareness about excessive food wastage in Hong Kong. The website demonstrates the pursuit of excellence in its use of social media and using creativity to generate user interaction. As a result, the website won a gold award.

Gold Award Winners of Government Departments category
The entries under the Government Departments category have shown high standards. There was intense competition and the final scores were close to one another. There are two joint winners of the gold prize this year, they are:

  • Hong Kong Observatory’s, www.hko.gov.hk, committed to providing world class weather information, is offering instant weather checks and frequently updated information. It was highly acclaimed by our panel of judges for its on-going development of new services and products on the website, meeting diversified needs of users in the local community.
  • Radio Television Hong Kong’s website, www.rthk.hk, stands out from the rest as it allows audiences to listen to their radio programs anytime at their convenience. It also demonstrates a good use of multi-media on the website.

In the same category, three other government websites warranted special mention as they also set good examples for other government departments to follow. They are www.housingauthroity.gov.hk of The Housing Department, www.ofca.gov.hk of The Office of the Communications Authority and www.police.gov.hk of The Hong Kong Police Force.

Outstanding Websites of LegCo Members category
Four websites were awarded with the title of Outstanding Website. They are:

“The definition of what makes a good website depends partly on its purpose,” said Mr. David Chung, Chief Technology Officer, Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, who was on the judging panel of the Commercial and Non-commercial categories. “Whether it be a commercial or non-commercial website, a good website should meet a variety of different characteristics to be considered of quality. I am glad to see that the winning websites of both categories can serve as role models, showcasing best-in-class website practice in the industries and for the general public, as they have met some basic agreement on what constitutes quality in website function and design, particularly on its useful, easy to navigate, relevant and updated content, accessibility and meet its purpose.”

“These websites were selected based on their comprehensive information, new look and feel, unique professional style as well as their use of website engagement and interaction through the inclusion of social media such as Facebook and Youtube,” said Dr. Robin S Bradbeer, Deputy Chairman of HKIRC, Chair of the judges for the Government Departments and LegCo Members categories. “Among the total 70 LegCo members in Hong Kong, 21 of them do not have a website. Some of the websites that did not provide English or other minority language support were given low scores in the Design and Functionality column, as it makes it difficult for the non-Chinese reading community to access their content,” she continued.

Open Cloud Supported by Rackspace

For the competition, HKIRC relied on Rackspace’s public cloud powered by OpenStack, the open source cloud computing platform, to support the voting for the Top 10 .hk Website Competition.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to support HKIRC’s public voting of the Competition, a meaningful initiative that raises awareness of building the best practice of .hk websites,” Ajit Melarkode, Managing Director of Rackspace Asia Pacific. “As thousands of users are visiting HKIRC’s website on a daily basis, it’s critical that they have the right infrastructure and support in place to manage traffic spikes and deliver robust website performance. We’re glad that they came to us as eCommerce specialists who back-up the cloud with a human face, timely advice and support.”

“With Rackspace’s public cloud in place, HKIRC has successfully managed an almost six-fold increase in traffic volume, avoiding any downtime and latency caused by unexpected traffic spikes,” Jonathan Shea, Chief Executive Officer. “We chose Rackspace’s public cloud for its scalability and flexibility, enabling HKIRC to host over 15,000 votes during the voting period and scale according to demand.”

To learn more about the award-winning websites, please visit www.top10award.hk

Result announcement of lucky draw winner for public voting

Public voting for favourite .hk / .香港 websites closed in early March with over 15,000 votes. The lucky draw result was announced in Sing Tao Daily and The Standard on 17 April 2014 and the winner will be notified separately by mail. The results can also be found on the official website: http://www.top10award.hk

The ceremony is one of the signature events of the International IT Fest 2014 organised by the HKSAR Government.

A group photo of all gold winners

Sponsors and partners of Top 10 .hk Website Competition 2013

About HKIRC
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow / Stan Yuen
Tel : 2319 3883 / 2319 3828
Fax : 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

LEWIS PR
Sabrina Wong / Cheris Lee
Tel : 3944 5011 / 3944 5015
Fax : 3944 5001
Email : sabrina.wong@lewispr.com / cheris.lee@lewispr.com

HONG KONG, 2 April 2014 –The 8th annual Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) Counter eCrime Operations Summit (CeCOS VIII) will assemble in Hong Kong, April 8-10, 2014, firstly collaborating with Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) as a local partner for the event. This year, CeCOS VIII will gather global leaders from the financial services, technology, government, law enforcement, communications sectors and research centers to map the cybercrime threatscape – and plot a unified global response.As the number of Internet users grow worldwide, the chances of falling victims to cybercrime follows suit. According to the Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team (HKCERT), a total of 471 security alert cases were issued on websites in 2013, representing a 10% increase compared to 2012, and an on-going increase since 2009. However, data from HKIRC found that the total number of recorded .hk spammvertising and phishing cases reduced to a mere seven cases in 2013, a 42% decrease from 2012.

“We are vigilant against the potential threat of malicious websites, collaborating with many local parties to take stringent measures against those are identified as fraudulent .hk websites”, said Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC “HKIRC consistently promotes .hk secure measures, specifically launching .hk LOCK in January this year to enhance the security of .hk domain names. Most importantly, we work closely with other organisations like APWG to promote the development of a safe internet environment.”

“In this day-and-age, cybercrime gangs’ fraud schemes would put the best marketing departments to shame,” said APWG Secretary General Peter Cassidy. “The precision of technical attacks today previously could have only been managed by the largest research labs, the most expert developers, or state-sponsored organizations with deep pockets. When the bad guys achieve the technical sophistication of nation states and corporate labs, you know it’s time to get organised.”

At the summit, APWG CeCOS VIII will review the development of response paradigms and resources for counter-cybercrime managers and forensic professionals in the private and public sectors. Presenters will review case studies of national and regional economies under attack, narratives of successful trans-national forensic cooperation – while considering models for cooperation against ecrime and examine resources for cybercrime response and forensic enterprises.

HKIRC’s representative will be one of the keynote speakers and present the topic on “Cyber-attacks Using the DNS and Counter-measures” on 9 April. The working agenda of the Summit can be found at: http://apwg.org/apwg-events/cecos2014/agenda

For more information, please visit: http://apwg.org/apwg-events/cecos2014/

About HKIRCHong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

About the APWGThe APWG, www.apwg.org, founded in 2003 as the Anti-Phishing Working Group, is the global industry, law enforcement, and government coalition unifying the global response to electronic crime. More than 2,000 companies, government agencies and NGOs participate in the APWG worldwide.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow / Stan Yuen
Tel : + 852 2319 3883 / 2319 3828
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

HKIRC
Peter Cassidy
Tel : +1 617 669 1123
Email : pcassidy@apwg.org

partners and sponsors

 

Better protection for .hk websites as the Internet becomes less secure

HONG KONG, 15 January 2014 – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) today announced the launch of .hk LOCK, a new security measure for .hk domain name owners. Through the service, .hk domain name owners will have the ability to lock their domain name server (DNS) records and prevent any unauthorised changes. By offering this service, HKIRC aims to deliver an additional layer of security for .hk domain names to make .hk websites safer, contributing to a more secure and trusted place for online business.

Rising cyber security threats pose challenges to every organisation. A recent spate of high profile international incidents involving unauthorised access to domain name records has drawn attention to big names like The New York Times, Google and Yahoo. Visitors to the affected sites were redirected to various fraudulent websites. These have highlighted the need for additional security measures at the DNS level.

Attacks from the outside are not the only threat to the security of the DNS. In some instances employees made errors to domain name records unintentionally, opening the website up to the same harmful effects that come from cyber-attacks. Unexpected changes of domain name records, whether made inside or outside the organisation, may result in the loss of confidential information, impacting the business and ruining a brand’s reputation.

“MarkMonitor applauds HKIRC for adding registry lock functionality with .hk LOCK, an important protection that benefits the entire Internet community by increasing the security of the .hk namespace. As a registrar charged with safeguarding the domain name portfolios for some of the world’s largest global brands and most-trafficked Internet properties, MarkMonitor has continually recommended this Best Practice to all registry operators for implementation as an additional safeguard available to domain name owners.” said Matt Serlin, Vice President of Domain Management of MarkMonitor Inc.

“A domain name is the digital asset that represents a company online. Protecting domain names should be a key priority for any company, especially for high traffic websites and large corporations, where the domain name is a critical part of their business. The .hk LOCK is an essential tool to manage the potential risks and better secure business in an unsecured world. Looking ahead, HKIRC will continue to innovate and promote other security measures, and work together with others to help prepare against possible threats and safeguard .hk domain name for a more secure future”, said Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC.

About .hk LOCK

The .hk LOCK offers an additional protection to prevent .hk domain names from unauthorised changes. It is a security process that is purposely designed for requiring human interactions through traditional channel to authorise a change. Each change request will be verified by HKIRC’s human-to-human contact. Only the authorised individuals who are validated can gain access to .hk domain name records to lock, unlock and relock the domain name.

After successfully completing the authentication process, the domain name record will be protected from unwanted modifications, transfers and deletions, ensuring web traffic is directed to the intended web addresses. For more information, please view here.

This service is only available to .hk domain name owners through their accredited registrars.

 

   

Jonathan Shea, Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited, announces the launch of .hk LOCK service today.


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About HKIRC

Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow / Stan Yuen
Tel : + 852 2319 3883 / 2319 3828
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

LEWIS PR
Cheris Lee / Faye Pang
Tel : + 852 3944 5015 / 3944 5011
Fax : + 852 3944 5001
Email : cheris.lee@lewispr.com / faye.pang@lewispr.com

New award added this year to take the Competition to new heights

HONG KONG, 12 December 2013 – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) today launched the “Top10 .hk Website Competition 2013” (the Competition), which is open for entry from now until 30 January 2014. To celebrate the Competition’s fifth anniversary this year, HKIRC aims to enrich the Competition by adding “The Most Honorable Award” for an outstanding website, as well as including website security features in the screening process.

“The Most Honorable Award”, is a new accolade this year aimed at further recognizing the remarkable achievements of Gold winners, who have won for three straight years. This is a token of appreciation for their continuous efforts in enhancing their websites and showcasing their best practices in their industries.

In addition, the frequent use of the Internet has brought rapidly evolving security threats. In 2012, Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center (HKCERT) received 1,050 security incident reports, a rise of 30% on the previous year. An outstanding .hk website should have Internet security measures built in for eliminating potential dangers and risks from cyber-attack. Therefore, website security features have been added as part of HKIRC’s initial screening for promoting a secure Internet environment.

‘We are pleased to organise the Top10 .hk Competition for the fifth year in a row which is a significant achievement for us. We have witnessed the improving standard of .hk websites and some of them have achieved outstanding success, which is worthy of further recognition. “The Most Honorable Award’ this year will establish a role model for .hk website development, sharing the outstanding designs and practices with website owners to help them further optimize their .hk websites,” said Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC, ‘Looking ahead, we will consider to broaden the Competition to more sectors, such as District Council members. This will cultivate the spirit of sharing best practice of good websites serving the needs of different sectors; further strengthening Hong Kong as a leading digital city in the world.’

About the Competition
The “Top 10 .hk Website Competition 2013” includes four different website categories: “commercial”, “non-commercial” (such as NGOs and schools), “government departments” and “LegCo members”. Judges will rank the entrants based on four judging criteria, including overall design and functionality, engagement, use of social media and accessibility. The categories of “commercial” and “non-commercial” websites are further divided into two sub-categories, which are SMEs and organisations with less than 100 staff, and large corporations and organisations with 100 and more staff. The winners of each category will be awarded a trophy and logo exposure on promotional materials. In addition, the Gold, Silver and Bronze Prize winner of the “commercial” category will be awarded a cash prize of HK$20,000, HK$10,000 and HK$5,000 respectively and the two winners of the “non-commercial” category will be awarded a cash prize of HK$15,000.

The call-for-entry period for the Competition runs from today through 30 January 2014. Shortlisted websites will be listed onhttp://www.top10award.hk from 14 February to 6 March 2014 for public voting. Winners will be notified individually on 9 April 2014 and the awards presentation ceremony will be held in April 2014.

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About HKIRC
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow / Stan Yuen
Tel : + 852 2319 3883 / 2319 3828
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

LEWIS PR
Cheris Lee / Faye Pang
Tel : + 852 3944 5015 / 3944 5011
Fax : + 852 3944 5001
Email : cheris.lee@lewispr.com / faye.pang@lewispr.com

Enabling customers to set up simple .hk websites
Fully leverage Internet resources to strengthen online communications

HONG KONG, 23 May 2013 – Hong Kong Domain Name Registration Company Limited (HKDNR) today launched its free Minisite service to help customers set up a simple website when registering .hk and .香港 domain names. This new service will enable them to benefit from the domain name once registered and closely connect with their target audience online with minimal delay.

“As of end of April this year, the number of .hk and .香港 domain names registered reached over 245,000. However, about 20% of them are not currently in use. We therefore introduced the Minisite service with an aim to encourage more users to quickly make use of their domain names. Through the service, they can build a simple website to promote their products and services in the shortest period of time. Otherwise, the domain name will be left dormant and the registration fee is simply wasted. Once they realise the benefits of having a website, users will be motivated to build their full websites through ISPs or web hosting companies,” said Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKDNR.

From now on, existing registrants of .hk or .香港 who have not used their domain name can enjoy the Minisite service by logging into the domain management account page under www.hkdnr.hk and filling out simple information such as company background. Users who register a new .hk or .香港 domain name on the HKDNR webpage are also entitled to the free Minisite service and can swiftly connect with their target audience via the Internet.

In addition, HKDNR offers free URL redirection service for users to point their multiple registered .hk / .香港 domain names to one designated website. This will help them better manage their online identity in an effective manner. As a result, their target audience can easily access their websites with any of their registered domain names.

To learn more about Minisite service, please visit www.yourminisite.hk.

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About HKDNR
Hong Kong Domain Name Registration Company Limited (HKDNR) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation (HKIRC), the registry designated by the HKSARG to administer the .hk and .香港country-code top level domains. HKDNR is one of the accredited registrars providing registration services to customers using Internet domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .gov.hk, .edu.hk, .net.hk, .idv.hk, 公司.香港, .組織.香港, .政府.香港, .教育.香港, .網絡.香港, .個人.香港, .hk and .香港.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow
Tel : + 852 2319 3883
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

LEWIS PR
Annie Ho / Belle Pei
Tel : + 852 3944 5016 / 3944 5013
Fax : + 852 3944 5001
Email : annie.ho@lewispr.com / belle.pei@lewispr.com

Hong Kong websites make good use of social media and are more accessible to the disadvantaged

HONG KONG, 18 April, 2013–Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) today announced the winners of the fourth Top Ten .hk Website Competition at the Award Ceremony held at Cyberport. The ceremony is one of the signature events of the first ever International IT Fest organized by the HKSAR Government.

Mr. Daniel Lai, Government Chief Information Officer, who attended the event as guest of honour, said, “Through the competition, we are very encouraged to see how different sectors in the community have developed innovative and creative domain names and websites to enhance and market their products and services. The winners of this year’s competition have once again set a very high standard in the development of their outstanding ‘.hk’ websites.”

2012 “Top 10 .hk Website Competition” includes four categories, which are “commercial”, “non-commercial”, “Government departments” and “LegCo members” websites. The entries were valuated according to four judging criteria, namely overall design and functionality, engagement, use of social media and web accessibility. This year, the Competition has received more than 300 entries, the highest participation received so far. The overall performance is also better than last year. Nearly 80% of commercial websites have made good use of social media, such as Facebook to communicate with their customers, while over 80% of the government websites have incorporated “accessibility” elements to cater for different needs of the public.

“Entering the fourth year, we have introduced two new categories, namely ‘Government department’ and ‘LegCo member’ websites, for the Top 10 .hk Website Competition, in view of the increasing expectation that more government information and services should be available online and that local politicians should not just use traditional channels to reach out to their supporters. At the same time, we want to commend outstanding websites which can be role models for others with a view to enhance the overall standard and quality of locally built and run websites. The Competition also encourages winners to share their success stories with the community, and further promotes Hong Kong as a leading digital city,” said Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC.

As the first website of a public bus service company with a bus route search function and web accessibility elements, websitewww.kmb.hk of The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1993) Ltd. struck gold in the “Commercial” category (100 staff or above); while the interactive online wedding platform, www.darizi.hk of Darizi Limited, which provides comprehensive and useful content with latest online applications won the gold award of “Commercial” category (less than 100 staff) for the second consecutive year.

Under the “Non-commercial” category, website www.e123.hk of Hong Kong Society for the Aged struck gold award (100 staff or above), with its elder-friendly design as well as the intuitive way of presenting information. And www.help4suicide.org.hk of The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong, a website offering online instant relief service, won the gold award for “Non-commercial” category (less than 100 staff).

In general, the website entries under the “Government departments” category are outstanding and their scores are close to each other. With its Asia’s largest Podcast library, frequently updated and diversified online services, Radio Television Hong Kong’s website www.rthk.hk stands out from the rest and successfully won the best government website award in this category. Hong Kong Observatory’s instant and frequently updated weather information www.hko.gov.hk, good use of social media ofwww.investhk.gov.hk by Invest Hong Kong, high accessibility designs of www.housingauthority.gov.hk by Hong Kong Housing Department and the well-organized website design of www.icac.org.hk by ICAC are all highly appreciated by our panel of judges.

As for the websites under “LegCo members” category, no award will be given this year after going through a holistic assessment of their websites based on all the judging criteria. It is hoped that websites in this category will be enhanced over time in the areas of overall design and functionality, engagement, use of social media and web accessibility. However, there are eight websites which are worth special mention. Details are given below.

Dr. Robin S Bradbeer, Deputy Chairman of HKIRC pointed out, “Only about 60% of the LegCo members have their websites, of which some are only the website for the political party rather than their personal websites. Among them, only 30% provide bilingual content. We hope local LegCo members can take references of good websites from their counterparts in the UK and the US, to build and make good use of outstanding websites to communicate with the public.”

To learn more about the award-winning websites, please visit http://www.top10award.hk.

The Top Ten .hk Website Competition Winners

Category Gold Silver Bronze
“Commercial”
(100 staff or above)
www.kmb.hk
The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd
www.travelexpert.com.hk
Travel Expert Limited
www.mabelle.hk
MaBelle
“Commercial”
(Less than 100 staff)
www.darizi.com.hk
Darizi Limited
www.dealshongkong.hk
Deals Hong Kong
www.photoblog.hk
Photobloghk
“Non-commercial”
(100 staff or above)
www.e123.hk
The Hong Kong Society for the Aged
“Non-commercial”
(Less than 100 staff)
www.help4suicide.com.hk
The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong
Category The Best Website
“Government departments” www.rthk.hk
Radio Television Hong Kong

The five outstanding websites in the “Government departments” Category (in alphabetical order)

The eight websites which warrant special mention in the “LegCo members” Category (in alphabetical order)

Result announcement of lucky draw winner for public voting

Public voting for favourite .hk/. 香港 websites also attracted active participation by more than 22,000 voters. The lucky draw winner will be notified separately by mail. The lucky draw result will be announced in Sing Tao Daily and The Standard on 25 April 2013. The result can also be founded on the official website: http://www.top10award.hk

Major Sponsors of the Competition:

About HKIRC
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow
Tel : + 852 2319 3883
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

LEWIS PR
Annie Ho / Belle Pei
Tel : + 852 3944 5016 / 3944 5013
Fax : + 852 3944 5001
Email : annie.ho@lewispr.com / belle.pei@lewispr.com

2013-04-18

“Commercial” category with 100 and more staff
Gold Prize – www.kmb.hk (Kowloon Motor Bus Co (1933) Ltd)
The KMB website, established in 1995 as Hong Kong’s first public bus website with a bus route search function, uses an easy to remember domain name www.kmb.hk. It was the first public bus website in Hong Kong to launch the “map-based point-to-point route search” function, allowing the public to access information on more than 5,000 bus stops on around 400 bus routes in graphic form. A “street view” feature gives passengers a 360-degree photo tour of the street near their chosen bus stop, enabling them to make faster and more accurate searches. In 2011, KMB launched its smartphone app, providing users with bus route information anytime, anywhere. The KMB smartphone app has been downloaded more than 1.3 million times since its launch.

Silver Prize – www.travelexpert.com.hk (Travel Expert Limited)
Travel Expert website is a one-stop online travel platform with an extensive resource library, enabling users to purchase travel products such as air ticket and hotel. In addition, it keeps updating the travel news for users to grasp the up-to-date information to decide their destination and buy promotional air tickets. The website makes use of Editor’s Choice to introduce interesting stuffs in different parts of the world with photos and captions. Travel Expert also provides travel information and instant service through different online social platforms such as Facebook, Weibo and smartphone apps.

Bronze Prize – www.mabelle.hk (MaBelle)
MaBelle website is a well-designed, operating from the perspective of our customers to provide a comprehensive jewellery and gift shopping experience online. The eShop showcases tentire inventory of styles, with detailed product descriptions, multi-angle product shots and staff recommendation videos. Customers can complete their orders through a secure payment gateway and enjoy global free delivery service. To give customers more control of their time and ever more personalized services at online stores, MaBelle established “Try these Pair Rings on at a MaBelle Shop”and “Professional Ear Piercing” booking services. All online services are complimented with phone confirmation in person to ensure customer satisfaction. The website is alsointegrated with social platforms such as Facebook, WeChat, Weibo, and blog, allowing MaBelle and its latest promotions and services truly assimilate with customers’ online lifestyle.

“Commercial” category with less than 100 staff
Gold Prize – www.darizi.hk (Darizi Limited)

Launched in September 2007, Darizi’s website is a Wedding Online Community in Hong Kong. For brides and grooms-to-be planning their dream weddings, Darizi’s Online Wedding Platform offers comprehensive content to facilitate stress-free wedding planning including the latest wedding news and trends and online magazine, pre-wedding online electronic tools such as organiser, blogs and schedules to each couple-to-be, so that all intensely busy couples can manage and organize their weddings in an easy and breezy fashion! The website also creates and expedites to-be-weds easy interaction with vendors, and serves as a continuing source of useful wedding and lifestyle information. In 2009 and 2011, the website developed its iPhone and iPad apps respectively to reach clients in various online platform.

Silver Prize – www.dealshongkong.hk (Deals Hong Kong)
Deals Hong Kong is the “one-stop-has-it-all” website for group-buying deals in Hong Kong. Offering over 4,500+ group-buying deals from various daily deal sites, Deals Hong Kong offers savvy shoppers the tools to quickly and easily find all of the deals that they’re interested in. The website also brings together the group-buying community by offering a platform for users to share experiences and rate different deals that they’ve purchased before. There is even a marketplace to buy and sell any unused vouchers at further discounts from other shoppers. Started in 2011 by 2 longtime friends who dared to become entrepreneurs in Hong Kong, Deals Hong Kong has now taken the concept of a comprehensive platform for finding, buying, and sharing group-buying deals into Singapore and Canada.

Bronze Prize – www.photoblog.hk (Photoblog.hk)
Photoblog.hk is a local-based online photography content provider; its main target groups are both educated tech-savvy digital photographers and sophisticated analogue photographers. Unlike other traditional photography websites, its content emphasize on photography philosophy and creativity as much as on equipment and gears, providing contents in an all-round basis. Photobloghk has put loads of effort on touching base and engage with our readers, and serve as a communication channel.

“Non-commercial” category with 100 and more staff
Gold Prize – www.e123.hk (The Hong Kong Society for the Aged)

eElderly is a one-stop e-platform aiming to bridge digital gaps and create a customized, secure and user-friendly platform for the elderly and caregivers to access information with ease and pleasure. Most importantly, it allows the elderly to communicate with each other through the internet world. We hope that they can enjoy the benefits of technological advancement for a better living. Based on the principle of elder-friendly design in the choice of website’s color tone, font type and the way of presenting information, it strongly demonstrates our sophistication in considering the need and the lifestyle of the elderly.

“Non-commercial” category with 100 and more staff
Gold Prize – www.help4suicide.com.hk (The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong)

Suicide-related information on internet is much more accessible as prevalent use of internet. People with suicidal distresses will be unconsciously and negatively affected by intensifying their distresses and intent of suicide. This website fights against this kind of internet information by probing for suicide, and providing instant emotional support. The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong strongly believe that suicide is never an option. It is just that hardship is too overwhelming. Remember! Be positive on everyday as hardship will pass one day!

“Government Departments” Category
The Best Government Website- www.rthk.hk (Radio Television Hong Kong)

Radio Television Hong Kong’s website is the hub of programmes live and archives, news and information. Instant news in Chinese and English and illustrated with photos, video and audio are updated regularly. Podcast library of over 200 programmes are ready for subscription and downloading. Public will never again miss their favourite programmes. Original multimedia web content on eLearning, culture, arts and creative, Chinese culture, public affairs are available to suit a broad range of interests. To cope with the development of communication technology, “rthk.hk” develops a range of mobile apps, including “RTHK OTG”, “Prime”, “Thumb”, “Node”. Through smartphone and tablet computers, our audience can always keep connected with RTHK.

For more information of the winning sites, please click here.

 Hong Kong’s first free IPv6 service facilitates Internet’s development

Hong Kong, 5 April 2013 –– A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been jointly signed by Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC), Internet Society Hong Kong (ISOC HK), New Sky Internet Ltd, NTT Communications and TraxComm to form the goIPv6 Consortium. With the strong support from Cyberport and Juniper, the Consortium plans to launch “goIPv6” service in July to provide free IPv6 tunnelling service. The service aims to encourage the industry and network users to migrate to IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) as IPv4 addresses are running out, and be well prepared for Internet development and opportunities in the future.

With the shortage of IPv4 addresses and the rapid growth of emerging Internet markets, enterprises are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities. IPv6 provides so many more addresses that they can be disposed rather than reassigned when a device is no longer in use. As a result, this can enhance quality of network service, improve network performance and support mobility. IPv6 can also stimulate innovations in enterprise solutions such as e-health network solutions, high-speed video conferencing, quality voice-over-IP (VoIP) and a wide array of online entertainment. All these bring convenience to people’s daily lives and help foster economic growth and development of Hong Kong in the long term.

To support the coexistence of IPv4 and IPv6, there are specific requirements for the infrastructure in terms of equipment, operating system, applications, software and security policy. The migration to IPv6 will also lead to additional costs and, to a certain extent, affect daily operations. With its expertise and knowledge, the Consortium will proactively promote IPv6 tunnelling service as a way to provide interconnectivity of IPv4 and IPv6 networks. This will streamline the process of IPv6 migration for enterprises and Internet Service Providers.

The “goIPv6” platform allows users to easily set up their “IPv6 tunnels” by providing basic information such as IPv4 address and contact details. The “goIPv6” program will be launched in phases. At the moment, the Consortium will invite different target groups to run pilot tests of the “goIPv6” service to enhance the platform, while deepening the understanding of IPv6 by the local Internet community.

Members of the Consortium and sponsoring organisations play an important role in the “goIPv6” project. HKIRC is responsible for the project planning, development and operation of “goIPv6” platform and customer support. NTT Communications provides dual stack IPv4/IPv6 international Internet Connectivity. TraxComm provides hosting facility and local connectivity. New Sky Internet Ltd provides technical support, ISOC HK collaborates on community promotion, and Cyberport encourages and facilitates industry participation. Juniper Networks offers the core equipment to support the service.

For more information on the “goIPv6” service, please visit https://www.hkirc.hk/goipv6/index.html

Quotes:

Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC
“The adoption of IPv6 has been slow in Hong Kong, even though there are no more new IPv4 addresses allocated at the regional level. HKIRC realises the importance of IPv6 deployment in ensuring the sustainability of the local Internet, and is honoured to have the opportunity of working together with renowned and experienced organisations and companies to form the ‘goIPv6’ Consortium. The project aims to enable Internet Service Providers, enterprises and Internet users to gain first-hand experience of IPv6 and become more comfortable with the migration to IPv6. At the same time, we expect ‘goIPv6’ to help promote the benefits of IPv6 and the new business opportunities that may arise for the local Internet industry, and support the sustainable growth and long-term development of the Hong Kong Internet community.”

SC Leung, Chairman of ISOC HK
“ISOC HK has been working closely with the Government and various industry stakeholders in promoting IPv6 deployment and has leading the society to the next generation of the Internet. We have established a solid foundation for community-wide adoption of IPv6 in order to keep the Internet growing. ISOC HK is pleased to be part of the ‘goIPv6’ alliance initiative to provide a one-year free IPv6 tunneling service. We hope with the joint effort, the promotion of IPv6 deployment will be continued.”

Dellon Mak, Business Manager of New Sky Internet Ltd
“As an alliance of the ‘goIPv6’ project, New Sky will not only exert expertise on network security and wireless solution, but also apply its rich experience of cooperating with Hong Kong SMEs. In this way, New Sky hopes that business entities will deepen the knowledge of IPv6. Particularly, it helps SMEs to keep pace with the most updated technology, not falling behind with large enterprise.”

Patrick Ng, Executive Vice President, Global Network Business Division, NTT Com Asia Ltd
“As a leading IPv6 pioneer operating one of the largest Tier-1 IPv6 backbones in the world, NTT Communications is delighted to join the ‘goIPv6’ Consortium to promote IPv6 transition in Hong Kong and provide stable and reliable dual stack IPv4/IPv6 international Internet connectivity for trial. It is clear that the world is running out of IPv4 addresses. Without any further delay, enterprises, especially those dedicated to online business, really need to start planning for their IPv6 transition to ensure their business continues to operate smoothly in the future.”

Kenneth Lau, Chief Officer, TraxComm Ltd
“The transition from IPv4 to IPv6 should be the road ahead to future Internet. The collaborations and commitments from industrial players are inevitable for a smooth transition. TraxComm is glad to participate in ‘goIPv6’ and join with the consortium members in promoting the IPv4/v6 transition.”

goIPv6 Consortium

Representatives of Consortium Partners attended MoU Signing Ceremony. (From the left): Ms Ping Wong, General Secretary, ISOCHK; Mr Dellon Mak, Business Manager of New Sky Internet Ltd; Mr Jonathan Shea, CEO, HKIRC; Mr Patrick Ng, Executive Vice President, Global Network Business Division, NTT Com Asia Limited; and Kenneth Lau, Chief Officer, TraxComm Limited.

About HKIRC
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow
Tel : + 852 2319 3883
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

LEWIS PR
Annie Ho / Belle Pei
Tel : + 852 3944 5016 / 3944 5013
Fax : + 852 3944 5001
Email : annie.ho@lewispr.com / belle.pei@lewispr.com

2013-03-15

The 2012 Service Partner Award Presentation Ceremony with Spring Luncheon of Hong Kong Domain Name Registration Company Limited (HKDNR) was held on 15 March 2013 to acknowledge the support by service partners over the years.

The annual event was first held in 2006. It aims at commending outstanding Service Partners who exert their efforts in achieving remarkable .hk/.香港 registrations in the past year. The seven annual awards are divided into local and overseas markets including the Best Performing Service Partner 2012 and Service Partner of the year 2012.

The winners for the 2012 Awards are as follows:
Best Performing Service Partner (Hong Kong) Gold Prize: ABC Computer Systems Ltd.
Best Performing Service Partner (Hong Kong) Silver Prize: Wopop International Limited
Best Performing Service Partner (Hong Kong) Bronze Prize: CommuniLink Internet Limited
Best Performing Service Partner (Overseas) Gold Prize: Xinnet Technology Corp.
Best Performing Service Partner (Overseas) Silver Prize: Marcaria.com International Inc.
Best Performing Service Partner (Overseas) Bronze Prize: MarkMonitor Inc.
Service Partner of the Year: MarkMonitor Inc.


Best Performing Service Partner (Hong Kong) Gold Prize: ABC Computer Systems Ltd.

Best Performing Service Partner (Hong Kong) Bronze Prize: CommuniLink Internet Limited

 

Vote for the best websites for a chance to win iPad mini and other exciting prizes

HONG KONG, 30 January 2013 –– Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) announced the commencement of public voting for the 2012 “Top 10 .hk Website Competition”, which lasts until 22nd February 2013 (Friday). The shortlisted websites are now posted on the Competition website for public voting. Voters will have an opportunity to win an iPad mini or other exciting prizes!

‘”Top 10 .hk Website Competition” is entering its fourth year. In general, we see improvement in the design and implementation of website entries this year. Most websites, including those in the commercial and non-commercial categories, are of high quality. They have made the best use of domain names and advantages of having a website to help achieve the mission and objectives of the organization,” said Mr Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC.

The “Top 10 .hk Website Competition” has received more than 300 entries this year. More than 60% of them belong to the categories of “commercial” and “non-commercial” websites and the remaining 40% belong to the new categories of “government department” and “LegCo member” websites. The websites were assessed based on four judging criteria, namely design and functionality, engagement, use of social media and accessibility. 10 websites have been shortlisted for each of the “commercial”, “non-commercial” and “government departments” categories for public voting.

Members of the public can visit http://www.top10award.hk to browse the shortlisted websites and cast their votes. Voters can select up to three .hk/.香港 websites from each of the three categories. Hong Kong citizens aged 18 years or above are eligible to vote once only. Voters will enter a lucky draw and have an opportunity to win an iPad mini and other exciting prizes. Results of the lucky draw will be announced on 18 April on the Competition’s website.

Judging Criteria of the Competition

A panel of judges assess the entries based on four judging criteria – overall design and functionality, engagement, use of social media and accessibility. Public voting accounts for 10% of the overall score. The Awards Presentation Ceremony for the “Top 10 .hk Website Competition” will be held in April 2013.

Please visit http://www.top10award.hk for more details of the Competition.

About HKIRC

Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow
Tel : + 852 2319 3883
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

LEWIS PR
Annie Ho / Belle Pei
Tel : + 852 3944 5016 / 3944 5013
Fax : + 852 3944 5001
Email : annie.ho@lewispr.com / belle.pei@lewispr.com

New Categories “Government Departments” and “LegCo Members” to Encourage
Better Communication through Websites

HONG KONG, 22 November 2012 – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) today announced the launch of the “Top 10 .hk Website Competition 2012”. The competition is open for applications from today through 11 January 2013. In addition to the “commercial” and “non-commercial” website categories, two new categories for “government departments” and “LegCo members” websites are introduced this year. The public and all industry sectors are encouraged to make the best use of the Internet and build outstanding websites with .hk domain names. This will reinforce communications, enhance quality and efficiency of services to meet user demand and adapt to the changes of technologies and the digital economy.“Hong Kong already has a solid foundation and development of a digital government. As we are evolving as an information society, we believe the two new categories will help identify and commend outstanding government and LegCo member websites, which in turn will help improve the overall standard of design and usability of local websites. This will strengthen government’s relationship with the Legislative Council and different parties leveraging the Internet. The Internet will also help the public sector increase openness and visibility with an aim to streamline procedures, promote innovations, automation and paperless environment for the benefits of citizens and enterprises. At the same time, this will showcase the benefits brought by digital public services in Hong Kong,” said Mr Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC.

Stepping into its fourth year, the competition aims to encourage enterprises, institutions and organisations to take part and realise the importance of websites, reinforce information exchange and make good use of online resources to support the development of a knowledge-based society in Hong Kong. The competition will applaud outstanding .hk / .香港websites, enabling the local community to share and learn from best practices of website development. Websites of government departments on the HKSAR Government Organization Chart and websites of LegCo members on the LegCo Members’ Contact Directory are enrolled into the two categories.

About the competition
The “Top 10 .hk Website Competition 2012” is divided into four different categories of websites: “commercial”, “non-commercial” (such as NGOs and schools), “government departments” and “LegCo members”. Judges will rank the entrants based on four judging criteria, including overall design and functionality, engagement, use of social media and accessibility. The categories of “commercial” and “non-commercial” websites are further divided into two sub-categories, which are SMEs and organisations with less than 100 staff, and large corporations and organisations with 100 and more staff. The winners of each category will be awarded a certificate, a trophy and logo exposure on promotional materials. In addition, the Gold, Silver and Bronze Prize winner of the “commercial” category will be awarded a cash prize of HK$15,000, HK$10,000 and HK$5,000 respectively and the two winners of the “non-commercial” category will be awarded a cash prize of HK$15,000.

The application period for “Top 10 .hk Website Competition” runs from today through 11 January 2013. Shortlisted websites will be listed on http://www.top10award.hk from 30 January to 22 February 2013 for public voting. Winners will be notified individually on 22 March 2013 and the awards presentation ceremony will be held in April 2013.

Please go to http://www.top10award.hk for more details and to enroll online.

– End –

About HKIRC

Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow
Tel : + 852 2319 3883
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

LEWIS PR
Annie Ho / Belle Pei
Tel : + 852 3944 5016 / 3944 5013
Fax : + 852 3944 5001
Email : annie.ho@lewispr.com / belle.pei@lewispr.com

 

2012-08-22

HKIRC “2012 Digital Marketplace – Creating New Online Business Frontiers” Seminar was held on 22 August 2012 at Cyberport. The seminar was a great success that attracted over 400 participants. At the event, HKIRC announced the latest results of the “.hk Website Utilisation Survey”, revealing the growing trend towards adopting social media and the more diversified uses of .hk websites, as compared to the results of the same survey conducted two years ago. However, the development of mobile-based websites and “Web Care” elements are still in formative stages.

Presentation Files 講稿


Opening Speech – Digital lifestyle and Marketplace
致開幕辭 – 數碼生活與數碼市場

Mr. Daniel Lai – Government Chief Information Officer, Office of the Government Chief Information Officer
政府資訊科技總監 -賴錫璋先生


Consumer social networks and its market trends
消費者社交網絡及市場趨勢

Mr. Matthew Kwan – Principal Consultant, Adams Company Limited
白武士有限公司首席顧問 – 關廣智先生


Leveraging mobile opportunity in your business
善用流動商機開拓市場

Mr. Simon Lee – Manager, Google Business Solutions, Google Hong Kong
谷歌商業用戶方案部香港區客戶經理 – 李瀚恩先生


Announcement of 2012 .hk website utilisation survey results
2012 .hk 網站調查結果公佈

Mr. Jonathan Shea – CEO, HKIRC
香港互聯網註冊管理有限公司行政總裁 – 謝達安先生

Successful Case Sharing 企業成功個案分享


    Darizi.com.hk

    Mr. Andy Ann – CEO, NDN Group
    NDN Group行政總裁 – 安宇昭先生


    Gotrip.hk

    Mr. Ken Chow – Chief Editor, Gotrip.hk
    Mr. Justin Choy – Product Manager of New Media Group’s Online Division
    Gotrip.hk主編 – 周宇恒先生
    新傳媒集團線上業務部產品經理 – 蔡立邦先生


    Timable.hk

    Mr. Mike Ko – Co-Founder, Timable.hk
    Timable創辦人 – 高立基先生

    Soliton.hk
    42@Soliton – Director of Business Development, Soliton.hk
    Soliton業務發展總監 – 42@Soliton

Photos 相片

 

“.hk Website Utilisation Survey” results announced
Trends in diversified website uses revealed
Concern over the lack of support for mobile and “Web Care” elements

HONG KONG, 22 August 2012 – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) held the “2012 Digital Marketplace – Creating New Online Business Frontiers” Seminar today. Mr. Daniel Lai, BBS, JP, Government Chief Information Officer, HKSAR Government, was the officiating guest at this year’s annual event. During the seminar, HKIRC announced the latest results of the “.hk Website Utilisation Survey”, revealing the growing trend towards adopting social media and the more diversified uses of .hk websites, as compared to the results of the same survey conducted two years ago. However, the development of mobile-based websites and “Web Care” elements are still in formative stages.“The boundless business opportunities on the Internet are stimulating global enterprises to step up efforts towards the development of the e-business market, and IT spending among SMEs is forecast to reach US$1 trillion in 4 years1. However, resources should be allocated wisely in order to achieve the intended results. In addition, smartphone penetration continues to increase and it is anticipated that smartphone ownership by digital consumers aged over 15 will reach 80% by the end of this year2. We can see a bright future for the market of mobile-based websites.

“In addition, the expanding aged population3 is creating huge business opportunities in the “silver hair” market, and hence it is believed that developing “Web Care” websites will definitely be the future direction for enterprises. We suggest enterprises should master the latest trends of online uses and invest appropriate resources as early as possible to explore the incredible market opportunities that arise from catering to the digital lifestyle of the future,”said Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC.

Conducted in August, the survey by HKIRC focused on 1,333 websites with .hk domain names in a random sample of 2,365 .hk domain names, to investigate how these websites are used such as frequency of information updates, availability of mobile-based websites, inclusion of social media and other interactive features, as well as the development of “Web Care” elements. Key findings of the survey include:

  1. More frequent updating – 36% of .hk websites have been updated in the last six months, a five-fold increase over the 2010 survey.
  2. Lack of mobile-based websites – Only 2% of .hk websites have a mobile version and 0.6% have business-dedicated mobile apps.
  3. High level of social media adoption – 15% of .hk websites adopt social media, of which 90% link to Facebook, which is the most popular social media platform. Other interactive features such as membership systems are also widely adopted.
  4. Online shopping with enhanced security measures – 14% of .hk websites offer an online shopping function, doubling the number in 2010. Of these, 36% offer secure payment measures, representing a slight increase of 4% compared to the survey conducted in 2010.
  5. Rarely passes “Web Care” website standard – Only 3% conform to W3C international web accessibility standards.

The rapid growth of social media applications as indicated in the survey provides important insight for enterprises. Local companies from different industries have successfully enhanced their customer relations through the promotion of goods and services via social media. For example, soliton.hk, a local online music platform, integrates the applications of Facebook and Weibo to strengthen interaction among users, cohering the online community and improving customer relations. Research and consulting firm Gartner, Inc. anticipates that worldwide social media revenue will reach US$16.9 billion in 2012, representing a 44% increase as compared to 20114. This shows that the market potential of social media should not be overlooked. The HKIRC survey also reveals that the majority of .hk websites have not yet developed a mobile version, while “Web Care” elements catering to the needs of the elderly and disabled are yet to be fully developed. On the other hand, we can see a significant improvement in website security.

HKIRC fully supports Hong Kong Internet development and innovation. Not only does HKIRC proactively promote the popularisation of .hk and .香港, but it also leverages on the advantages of the latest Internet developments to seize the business opportunities within different industries. To encourage the online mobile market, HKIRC started offering a free QR code generating service in March this year to all .hk/.香港 registrants, enabling them to explore mobile business opportunities. In respect of facilitating barrier-free web browsing, HKIRC has newly incorporated the “Web Care” element as one of the judging criteria of the “Top 10 .hk Website Competition” since last year, to encourage the development of “Web Care” features in .hk websites and commend outstanding websites catering to the needs of different segments in the community including the elderly and the disabled. Additionally, HKIRC releases the figures for .hk/.香港 spamvertising and phishing cases each year, as well as devoting considerable effort towards effectively identifying and handling applications suspected to be made for fraudulent purposes, which in turn helps maintain the high level of security of .hk/.香港 websites.

At the “2012 Digital Marketplace – Creating New Online Business Frontiers” seminar today, over 400 participants acquired first-hand market intelligence and explored proven best practices. Guest speakers from different online industries shared their opinions on topics of online business opportunities including:

  • The business value of IPv6 and its new applications
  • Online business opportunities in the “silver hair” market
  • The power of cloud computing
  • Consumer social networks and market trends
  • Leveraging on mobile opportunities for business

“We are thrilled that the new ways of thinking and new business models shared by speakers today have given participants new insights into digital strategies for their business. We hope local enterprises can leverage on the new network and mobile communications platforms to manage .hk website and online resources effectively, unleashing boundless imagination to open up new online business frontiers,” said Mr. Shea.
About HKIRC
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow
Tel : + 852 2319 3883
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

iPR Ogilvy
Joyce Wong / Sofia Yip / Vivien Wong
Tel : + 852 3920 7671 / 3920 7673 / 3920 7675
Fax : + 852 3170 6606
Email : joyce.wong@iprogilvy.com / sofia.yip@iprogilvy.com / vivien.wong@iprogilvy.com

1 IT spending among SMEs is forecasted to reach US$870 billion in 2012 and will grow to US$1 trillion in 2016 (http://www.smbworldasia.com/en/content/worldwide-smb-it-spending-reach-us874-billion-2012)
2 Smartphone becomes the third most owned digital device by all Hong Kong digital consumers aged over 15 (http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/reports-downloads/2011-Reports/Hong-Kong-Digital-Behavior-Insights-Report.pdf)
3 “Hong Kong Population Projections 2012-2041” revealed the proportion of the population aged 65 and over will reach 30% in 2041 (http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201207/31/P201207310339.htm)
4 Global revenue from social media increased and is expected to reach US$16.9 billion in 2012 http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=2092217)

Enhanced Flexibility and Competitiveness of Registrars

HONG KONG, 18 July 2012 – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) today announced a 20% reduction in registrar price per domain bundle of the Chinese .香港 and English .hk domain names, from HK$125 to HK$100. The price reduction applies to new and existing domain name registrations, including .hk, .com.hk, .org.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk and .net.hk, as well as their equivalent Chinese .香港 domain names. The registrar price for .idv.hk and .個人.香港 remains unchanged.

“The reduction in registrar price aims at increasing market flexibility and enabling a freer environment with more innovation for the provisioning of more competitive and more comprehensive domain registration services by registrars, which in turn will further promote .香港 and .hk. Through this reduction, we wish to help drive the Internet development of Hong Kong, encouraging the market to further flourish,” said Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC.

The price reduction of .香港 and .hk are beneficial to all accredited registrars. Local and overseas registrars can leverage on the reduced price to launch and promote diversified domain-related services, catering for different market needs, hence enhancing their competitiveness. For further information, please visit https://www.hkirc.hk/pdf/HKIRC_-_Registrar_Agreement%20eff%2011%2001%2012%20V1%200%20(Eng)%20final%20Website%20version1.pdf

– End –

About HKIRC

Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow
Tel : + 852 2319 3883
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

iPR Ogilvy
Joyce Wong / Vivien Wong
Tel : + 852 3920 7671 / 3920 7675
Fax : + 852 3170 6606
Email : joyce.wong@iprogilvy.com / vivien.wong@iprogilvy.com

 

HONG KONG, 4 June 2012 – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) today announced the opening of online public voting for the “A Decade of Pride and Success” Domain Name Competition. Over the years, HKIRC has been actively promoting the benefits of using .hk and .香港 domain names. To commemorate its 10th Anniversary, HKIRC organised the “A Decade of Pride and Success” Domain Name Competition in March. Thirty domain names have been shortlisted and posted on the HKIRC Facebook page (www.facebook.com/HKIRC) . From today until 31 July 2012, members of the public can visit the HKIRC Facebook page to vote for their favourite domain name and gain the opportunity to win fabulous prizes.

“Since launching the ‘A Decade of Pride and Success’ Domain Name Competition in March, we have received an overwhelming response of 294 domain names in just two months, of which 185 were submitted by secondary school students, and many of which were outstandingly creative. We hope that members of the public will actively take part in voting, and together select the domain name that creates the most resonance within the community to bring positive energy to Hong Kong,” said Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC.

The first 100 voters who also answer the 10th Anniversary quiz correctly will be awarded a .hk multifunctional digital calendar. The two contestants whose entries receive the greatest number of votes will be awarded a .hk limited edition gift set with a value of over HK$1,000, as well as a one-year .hk / .香港 domain for free. The winning .hk or .香港 domain name may also be adopted as the name of the HKIRC 10th Anniversary website. The school with student entries gaining the greatest number of votes will be awarded the “Outstanding School Prize”.

The results of the “A Decade of Pride and Success” Domain Name Competition and the winners of the public voting will be announced in August. For details, please visit http://www.10th.hk/timecapsule/en/domain_name_competition.html

About HKIRC
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow
Tel : + 852 2319 3883
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

iPR Ogilvy
Joyce Wong / Sofia Yip / Vivien Wong
Tel : + 852 3920 7671 / 3920 7673 / 3920 7675
Fax : + 852 3170 6606
Email : joyce.wong@iprogilvy.com / sofia.yip@iprogilvy.com / vivien.wong@iprogilvy.com

 

10th Anniversary Celebration
2012-05-16

To commemorate the 10th Anniversary of HKIRC, we organised the 10th Anniversary celebration at Asia Society Hong Kong Center on 16 May to kick off a series of celebratory events. The events themed “A decade of Pride and Success of Hong Kong”, which enable us to review and share the growth of HKIRC and the glorious moments of Hong Kong during the last decade.

During the celebration, HKIRC unveiled the “Cyber Time Capsule” (www.10th.hk and www.十周年.香港) to let people share the pride and success of Hong Kong during the last decade, such as the achievements and memorable moments of the Internet development. You can upload digital files such as photos, videos, music, blogs to the “Cyber Time Capsule”. The files will be made available again on the website 10 years later, so that we can review and relive these special moments in time.

More than 60 guests joined the celebration and the “Cyber Time Capsule” was unveiled by 7 guests of honour including Mr John Estmond Strickland, GBS, JP, Chairman of HKIRC, Mr Daniel Lai, BBS, JP, Government Chief Information Officer, Mr Joseph Yu, MH, the first Chairman of the Board, co-founder and current Board Member of HKIRC, Mr Vincent Marshall Lee, Chairman of Tung Tai Group of Companies, Mr Pindar Wong, Chairman of VeriFi (Hong Kong) Limited, and Mr Sunny Lee Wai Kwong, Executive Director of IT, The Hong Kong Jockey Club and Mr Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC. In addition, the HKIRC and 10th Anniversary video were first shown and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra performed at the celebration, bringing a cheerful and wonderful time to the guests.

HKIRC and 10th Anniversary video:
http://www.youtube.com/user/HKIRCVideo

10th Anniversary Celebration’s highlights︰
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjAVjoN8-FA

Photos

2012-01-20

Corporate Group
Gold Prize – www.weather.gov.hk (Hong Kong Observatory)
Company Profile: The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) website is tailor made for users, providing one-stop webpages specialized for different user communities including school, senior citizen, fisherman and outdoor sports. The website is informative and frequently updated. To meet evolving users’ needs, the HKO launched the personalized weather service, MyObservatory, to provide real-time location-specific weather information. The visitor statistics of the website in 2011 reaches 5.2 billion, which is 2.9 times that of 2010. The HKO website is widely recognized, winning a number of awards including Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the most searched awards. HKO was also entrusted by the World Meteorological Organization of the United Nation to develop and operate the “World Weather Information Service” and “Severe Weather Information Centre” websites.

Silver Prize – www.rthk.hk (Radio Television Hong Kong)
Company Profile: The RTHK website provides variety of services for the public: radio and TV live-webcast, 24 hours news, radio and TV program archives, Podcast Station, eLearning, Chinese culture and special web projects. RTHK Podcast Station’s library is the largest among Asian broadcasters. It includes more than 200 programs for user to download and enjoy anytime. RTHK also attempt different technologies to give new experience to our users such as integrating the websites with google-map, blogging, online polling, photo/video submission and weibo live feed to update users the event status. In 2010, RTHK broadened their services to another level: users can access our contents via our iPhone and Android apps “RTHK On The Go”, to reach our goal “Anytime, Anywhere, Any device”.

Bronze Prize – www.kmb.hk (Kowloon Motor Bus Co (1933) Ltd)
Company profile: The KMB website was established in 1995 as Hong Kong’s first public bus website with a bus route search function. The website uses an easy-to-remember domain name. The website constantly innovates and improves service, enhancing the communications with the passengers and industries. It was the first public bus website in Hong Kong to launch the map-based point to point route search function, allowing the public to access information on more than 5,000 bus stops on around 400 bus routes in graphic form. A “Street View” feature gives passengers a 360-degree photo tour of the street near their chosen bus stop, enabling them to make faster, easier and more accurate searches. In March 2011, the KMB iPhone App was launched, providing around one million iPhone/iPad/iPod touch users with free downloads of bus route information anytime, anywhere. The KMB iPhone App is also equipped with and convenient “Alight Reminder” function, the first of its kind.

Merit Prize (In alphabetical order)
www.buildhk.hk (Development Bureau)
www.e123.hk (The Hong Kong Society for the Aged)
www.travelexpert.com.hk (Travel Expert Limited)

SME Group
Gold Prize – www.darizi.com.hk (Darizi Limited)
Company Profile: Launched in September 2007, the website is a Wedding Online Community in Hong Kong. For brides and grooms-to-be planning their dream weddings, Darizi’s Online Wedding Platform offers comprehensive content to facilitate stress-free wedding planning including the latest wedding news and trends and online magazine, pre-wedding online electronic tools such as organiser, blogs and schedules to each couple-to-be, so that all intensely busy couples can manage and organize their weddings in an easy and breezy fashion! The website also creates and expedites to-be-weds easy interaction with vendors, and serves as a continuing source of useful wedding and lifestyle information. In 2009 and 2011, the website developed its iPhone and iPad apps respectively to reach clients in various online platform.

Silver Prize – www.Gotrip.hk (Hong Kong Media Services Company Ltd, a subsidiary of New Media Group)
Company Profile: The website is a Web 2.0 travel website which allows users to find practical information and share their travel experience with others, editors and travel experts also join the sharing as “Star Users”. Gotrip.hk invents the travel diary system in which photos can be sort and geo-positioned automatically. The diary is integrated with Weibo to enhance interaction and users can use Facebook and Weibo to import and export the diary contents and photos. In addition, the websitealso reported incidents such as Japan earthquake and Thailand flooding disasters and encouraged the public to make donation through the website and respective social platforms so as to educate the community.

Bronze Prize – www.msf.org.hk (Médecins Sans Frontières (Hong Kong))
Company Profile: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian and its core work is in providing emergency medical aid to people affected by armed conflict. MSF also offers medical care to marginalised people who find themselves excluded from healthcare, and to communities whose health systems may be overwhelmed due to epidemics or natural disasters. MSF speaks out about the reality in the front line for those vulnerable groups via its website. People from Hong Kong and other Asian countries can make a monthly and one-off donation online to support the global relief work of MSF, as well as apply to be a field worker on its website.

Merit Prize (In alphabetical order)
www.eoc.org.hk (Equal Opportunities Commission)
www.timable.hk (Timable)

For more information of the winning sites, please click here.

Photos

Winning websites show creativity and “Web Care”
Significant Decline in .hk/.香港 Domain Name Phishing and Spamvertising Cases for 2011

HONG KONG, 18 January, 2012 – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) today announced the results of the third Top Ten .hk Website Competition. Websites www.weather.gov.hk of Hong Kong Observatory and www.darizi.com.hk of Darizi Limited struck gold in the Corporate and SME Groups respectively. HKIRC also revealed the latest numbers for spamvertising and phishing cases using .hk/.香港domains, which have significantly decreased throughout 2011.

HKIRC received a record-high number of over 200 entries for this competition, which is more than a 30% increase from last year. The Competition has attracted contestants from a wide range of industries, including Chinese medicine information providers, weddings, lifestyle information, public services, tourism, energy, charities and more. To help bridge the digital divide in our society, a newly-added judging criterion this year is the “Web Care” element, which has been very well exhibited by many of the entries, ensuring that people with special needs can easily access the websites.

“HKIRC has organised the Top Ten .hk Website Competition three years in a row. We are very pleased to see that this year’s entries have come from different and more diversified industries. The websites are of high quality, creating some keen competition among the entrants. The improvement in the overall standard of the websites, the increase in the number of entries and the encouraging response from the public in voting altogether show that outstanding websites can make use of the Internet to strengthen their business advantages. We are also delighted to see an increase in netizens’ awareness of the competition over the previous year, indicating that they are more willing than ever to share, interact and participate,” said Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC.

Mr. Daniel Lai , Government Chief Information Officer, attended as guest of honour at the event. Mr. Lai said, “I am glad to see HKIRC includes web accessibility element in this year’s Competition which drives the community to bridge the digital divide and encourage the corporations and organisations to leverage on the Internet and its diversified platforms to cater for the needs of different people in the society, contributing to the barrier free websites.”

The judging panel was comprised of Dr. Billy Mak, Associate Professor from the Department of Finance & Decision Sciences of Hong Kong Baptist University, Mr. Simon Yeung, Publisher of SMB World, Dr. John Fung, Business Director of Sector and Capacity Development of The Hong Kong Council of Social Service, Mr. Sunny Ho, Manager of Information Technology Operations of Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, and Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC.

The Gold Prize winners of the Corporate and SME Groups each received HK$20,000 with a trophy and a certificate, plus logo exposure on promotional materials. The Silver, Bronze and Merit Prize winners were awarded HK$10,000, HK$5,000 and HK$1,000 respectively.

The Top Ten .hk Website Competition Winners
Corporate Group
Top 3:

Merit Prizes:

SME Group
Top 3:

Merit Prizes:

Public voting for favourite .hk/.香港 websites also enjoyed record participation by more than 4,000 voters. The lucky draw result was announced in Sing Tao Daily and The Standard on 21 December 2011. The results can also be found on the official website:http://www.top10award.hk/winnersList.html.

Continued nurturing of a safe Internet environment
At today’s event, HKIRC also released the latest figures for .hk/.香港 spamvertising and phishing cases in 2011. According to the .hk Domain Name Spamvertising & Phishing Report for 2011, a total of 25 .hk/.香港 phishing and spamvertising cases were recorded. The significant decrease in phishing and spamvertising cases reflected the effectiveness of the stringent measures implemented by HKIRC to identify and handle applications suspected to be made for fraudulent purposes, which in turns enables .hk/.香港 to maintain a high level of security and Internet integrity.

Members of the public are welcome to report any .hk/.香港 spamvertising and phishing websites to HKIRC via email <abuse@hkirc.hk>or hotline 2319 1313.

About the Top 10 .hk Website Competition
HKIRC invited both SMEs and not-for-profit organisations with less than 100 employees, and large corporations and not-for-profit organisations with 100 employees or more to take part in the Competition. Judges ranked the .hk/.香港entrants based on criteria such as industry innovation, look-and-feel and ease of navigation, “Web Care” element, interactivity, domain innovation and relevance, and contribution to society.
For more information, please visit http://www.top10award.hk.

Major Sponsors of the Competition

Diamond Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Bronze Sponsor

Online Media sponsor

Media Partner

Mobile App Sponsor

 

About HKIRC
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow
Tel : + 852 2319 3883
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

iPR Ogilvy
Joyce Wong / Sofia Yip / Vivien Wong
Tel : + 852 3920 7671 / 3920 7673 / 3920 7675
Fax : + 852 3170 6606
Email : joyce.wong@iprogilvy.com / sofia.yip@iprogilvy.com / vivien.wong@iprogilvy.com

2012-01-18

The 2011 Service Partner Award Presentation Ceremony with Spring Luncheon of Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) was held at Gloucestor Luk Kwok Hong Kong Hotel in Wanchai on 18 January 2012.

The annual event was first held in 2006. It aims at commending the new and existing Service Partners who excel in .hk/.香港 registrations and gives honour to the Partners achieving remarkable results in the past year. The seven annual awards are divided into local and overseas markets including the Best Performing Service Partner 2011 and Service Partner of the year 2011.

The winners for the 2011 Awards are as follows:

               
Best Performing Service Partner 2011 (Hong Kong) Gold Prize: Speedy Group Corporation Ltd

Best Performing Service Partner 2011 (Hong Kong) Silver Prize: HKT Business NETVIGATOR

Best Performing Service Partner 2011 (Hong Kong) Bronze Prize: UDomain Web Hosting Company Limited

Best Performing Service Partner 2011 (Overseas) Gold Prize: Hichina Zhicheng Technology Co., Ltd
Best Performing Service Partner 2011 (Overseas) Silver Prize: Web Commerce Communication Limited
Best Performing Service Partner 2011 (Overseas) Bronze Prize: Instra Corporation Pty Ltd
   
Service Partner of TheYear 2011: HKT Business NETVIGATOR

 

HONG KONG, 12 January 2012 – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) welcomes the opening up of the new generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today and fully supports corporations and organisations wishing to apply for their own gTLD by offering them professional consultancy services.

“HKIRC at all times supports the development and innovative use of the Internet. In addition to promoting the use of .hk and .香港 domain names, HKIRC works closely with industries to take advantage of latest development of the Internet and to help them seize business opportunities. Not only do we support corporations which wish to establish a local online identity by adopting .hk and .香港 domain names, we also encourage corporations to exercise their infinite originality to create innovative domain names in different languages, in order to enhance their competitiveness and branding, as well as to maintain their pioneering positions in their respective industries,” said Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC.

Applications for new gTLD are open from today to 12 April 2012. Corporations can unleash their imagination and use creative, concise and relevant new gTLDs as their website and email addresses so as to strengthen their brand. The opening up of the new gTLD will also lead to new business opportunities for some companies.

The application for a new gTLD involves large investment and is a complicated process which can last for 9 to 20 months, during which the legal, financial, technical and other aspects of the operation are examined. Devoted to promoting Internet development, and with substantial experience in administering .hk/.香港 domain names and a close working relationship with ICANN, HKIRC began offering gTLD consultancy services to Hong Kong companies and organisations interested in applying for new gTLD in October last year, enabling those companies and organisations to focus on their core business. To date, HKIRC has received enquiries from a range of industries and organisations including listed corporations, popular brands, retailers and media, among others. For more information about gTLD application, please visit https://www.hkirc.hk/GTLD/index.html.

About HKIRC
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow
Tel : + 852 2319 3883
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

iPR Ogilvy
Joyce Wong / Sofia Yip / Vivien Wong
Tel : + 852 3920 7671 / 3920 7673 / 3920 7675
Fax : + 852 3170 6606
Email : joyce.wong@iprogilvy.com / sofia.yip@iprogilvy.com / vivien.wong@iprogilvy.com

HONG KONG, 10 November 2011 – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) today announced the shortlisted entries for the 2011 Top 10 .hk Website Competition. Twenty-four entries have been shortlisted from over 200 submissions in the first round of assessments. Pubic voting for the favourite .hk websites starts today and runs through 30 November 2011 (Wednesday). Please visit http://www.top10award.hk to vote now. Everyone who votes will be entered in a lucky draw and have an opportunity to win the grand prize of an iPad 2 and other exciting prizes.

“The 2011 Top 10 .hk Website Competition has received an overwhelming response, hitting a record high this year. Many participating websites include ‘Web Care’ elements which make it easier for people with disabilities to browse online information with minimal barriers. After the first round of assessment, 24 entries were shortlisted for public voting and consideration by our judges. We hope that members of the community will actively take part in public voting to help select the best from among these notable entries,” said Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC.

Members of the public can go to http://www.top10award.hk to browse through the shortlisted websites and cast their votes. The 24 shortlisted entries are divided into two categories for public voting: 11 entries from the Corporate Group (large corporations and non-profit organisations with 100 staff or more) and 13 entries from the SME Group (SMEs and not-for-profit organisations with less than 100 staff). Each voter can select up to 5 favourite .hk/.香港 websites from each of the two categories. Hong Kong citizens aged 18 years or above are eligible for online voting. Only one form can be submitted by each participant.

About the competition
Judges will rank the entries based on criteria such as industry innovation, look-and-feel and ease of navigation, interaction, domain innovation and relevance, and contribution to society. Public voting accounts for 10% of the overall score. Vote now to support the most outstanding .hk/.香港 websites!

Winners will receive individual notifications on 21 December 2011. The Gold Prize winner of each category will be awarded HK$20,000 together with a certificate, trophy and logo exposure on promotional materials. The awards presentation ceremony will be held in early 2012.

Please visit http://www.top10award.hk for more information.

Major Sponsors of the Competition

Diamond Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Bronze Sponsor

Online Media sponsor

Media Partner

Mobile App Sponsor

 

About HKIRC
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow
Tel : + 852 2319 3883
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

iPR Ogilvy
Joyce Wong / Vivien Wong / Annie Ho
Tel : + 852 3920 7671 / 3920 7675 / 3920 7663
Fax : + 852 3170 6606
Email : joyce.wong@iprogilvy.com / vivien.wong@iprogilvy.com / annie.ho@iprogilvy.com

HONG KONG, 20 October 2011 – The 2011 Top 10 .hk Website Competition organised by Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) has received overwhelming responses since it was opened in end-September. To ensure there is sufficient time for the industry to enroll, HKIRC today announced the deadline for entries will be extended by one week to 4 November (Friday), enabling more outstanding .hk/ .香港 websites to participate in the Competition. Entrants can take advantage of this opportunity to win up to HK$20,000 in cash awards and a series of great promotional opportunities! Simply go to http://www.top10award.hk to submit your application now!

As in the last two years, the 2011 Top 10 ‘.hk’ Website Competition will be divided into two categories: SMEs and not-for-profit organisations (with less than 100 staff), and large corporations and not-for-profit organisations (with 100 or more staff). Through the competition, HKIRC aims at discovering more outstanding websites which can serve as role models within the industry. In addition, to reflect the importance of no-barrier websites in bridging the digital divide, one of the judging criteria this year will include the ‘Web Care’ element. This will commend outstanding websites which cater to the needs of different people by making it easier for them to browse online information without barriers and by promoting the bridging of the digital divide.

About the competition
HKIRC invites both SMEs and not-for-profit organisations with less than 100 staff, and large corporations and non-profit organisations with 100 staff or more, to take part in the competition. Judges will rank the entrants based on criteria such as industry innovation, look-and-feel and ease of navigation, interaction, domain innovation and relevance, and contribution to society. The Gold Prize winner of each category will be awarded HK$20,000 together with a certificate, a trophy and logo exposure on promotional materials.

The application period for the competition runs from today through 4 November 2011. Shortlisted websites will be open for public voting from 10 to 30 November 2011. The results will be announced on 21 December 2011 and the awards presentation ceremony will be held in early 2012.

Please visit http://www.top10award.hk for more information and to submit the online entry form.

Major Sponsors of the Competition

Diamond Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Bronze Sponsor

Online Media sponsor

Media Partner

Mobile App Sponsor

 

About HKIRC
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow
Tel : + 852 2319 3883
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

iPR Ogilvy
Joyce Wong / Vivien Wong / Annie Ho
Tel : + 852 3920 7671 / 3920 7675 / 3920 7663
Fax : + 852 3170 6606
Email : joyce.wong@iprogilvy.com / vivien.wong@iprogilvy.com / annie.ho@iprogilvy.com

New ‘Web Care’ element in judging criteria to help bridge the digital divide in our society

HONG KONG, 23 September 2011 – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) today announced the launch of the Top 10 ‘.hk’ Website Competition 2011 in Hong Kong. The competition is open for application from today through 28 October 2011. To facilitate greater digital inclusion in our society, one of the judging criteria this year will include the ‘Web Care’ element as promoted by the local Internet industry.

As the Internet becomes increasingly popular, more diversified Internet applications are being developed and implemented. In addition to integrating creative ideas and offering a good impression, an interactive interface and ease of navigation, outstanding ‘.hk’ websites should emphasize their contribution to society and promote the idea that everyone should have equal opportunities to learn and share information on the Internet. Therefore, we have included a new ‘Web Care’ element, anticipating that outstanding websites can improve the quality of life for different people, enabling them to browse online information without barriers and enjoy the benefits brought by the Internet,” said Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC.

HKIRC hopes to demonstrate to local corporations the advantages of utilising the Internet and the ‘.hk /.香港’ domain name. The event will also be a valuable opportunity for the Internet community to share best practices for website development and to learn from one another.

As in the last two years, the 2011 Top 10 ‘.hk’ Website Competition will be divided into two categories: SMEs and not-for-profit organisations (with less than 100 staff), and large corporations and not-for-profit organisations (with 100 or more staff). Through the competition, HKIRC aims at discovering more outstanding websites which can serve as role models within the industry. In addition, to reflect the importance of no-barrier websites in bridging the digital divide, one of the judging criteria this year will include the ‘Web Care’ element. This will commend outstanding websites which cater to the needs of different people by making it easier for them to browse online information without barriers and by promoting the bridging of the digital divide.

About the competition
HKIRC invites both SMEs and not-for-profit organisations with less than 100 staff, and large corporations and non-profit organisations with 100 staff or more, to take part in the competition. Judges will rank the entrants based on criteria such as industry innovation, look-and-feel and ease of navigation, interaction, domain innovation and relevance, and contribution to society. The Gold Prize winner of each category will be awarded HK$20,000 together with a certificate, a trophy and logo exposure on promotional materials.

The application period for the competition runs from today through 28 October 2011. Shortlisted websites will be open for public voting from 3 to 30 November 2011. The results will be announced on 21 December 2011 and the awards presentation ceremony will be held in early 2012.

Please visit http://www.top10award.hk for more information and to submit the online entry form.

Major Sponsors of the Competition

Diamond Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Bronze Sponsor

Online Media sponsor

Media Partner

Mobile App Sponsor

About HKIRC
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a non-profit-distributing, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk and .香港 country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow
Tel : + 852 2319 3883
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

iPR Ogilvy
Vivien Wong / Noel Chan/ Annie Ho
Tel : + 852 3920 7670 /3920 7671 /3920 7663
Fax : + 852 3170 6606
Email : vivien.wong@iprogilvy.com / noel.chan@iprogilvy.com / annie.ho@iprogilvy.com

 

Encouraging Response during Soft Launch
Indicating Need for .香港 Domain in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, 24 March 2011 – Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) today announced the official launch of the full Chinese .香港 Internationalised Country Code Top Level Domain (.香港 domain name). HKIRC has received positive response during the half-month soft launch period, with about 20,000 .香港 domain names activated. This encouraging feedback shows the great demand for the .香港 domain name among businesses and in the community.

“The launch of the .香港 domain name is not just a local event. It recognises the fruits of the research efforts over the past ten years on how best to introduce Chinese domain names in the Chinese speaking parts of the world.” said Mr. John Estmond Strickland, GBS, JP, Chairman of HKIRC. “At the same time, we are very pleased to announce that the number of .hk domain name registrations surpassed 200,000 in January this year.”

The launch of the .香港 Chinese suffix, with support for both simplified and traditional Chinese characters, enables the use of easy-to-remember and easy-to-understand Chinese words as the domain names for websites. The .香港 domain name can help raise brand and product awareness for businesses and allow potential customers who can read and write only Chinese in the Greater China region to easily access these websites, hence opening up potential new market opportunities.

Officiating at the launch ceremony for the .香港 domain name today, Mr. Stephen Mak, JP, Government Chief Information Officer said, “The introduction of full Chinese domain name represents a significant development of the DNS Internet infrastructure in Hong Kong. The new service will certainly give momentum to the community in building cyber identities and brands using Chinese domain names, and encourage further development of portals and online services for the Chinese-speaking people.”

Mr. Peter Dengate Thrush, Chair of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) was a guest of honour at the official launch ceremony for the .香港 domain name. He said, “The introduction of this internationalised domain name means far more than simply adding another language to the top level of an Internet address. It will serve as an open invitation to millions of new Internet users to explore the most amazing global communications network man has ever devised.”

Many of the early registrations were generic words and company or product names from local brands, consumer brands, travel agencies, theme parks, food and beverage brands, Chinese medicine brands, banks and financial institutions, shopping arcades, office and residential complexes, educational institutions, non-profit organisations, public utilities and government departments, reflecting the importance of being visible and generating brand awareness on the Internet for a diverse range of industries and organisations.

“We are pleased to officially launch the .香港 domain name and witness the overwhelming response from the business sector and the community. HKIRC will continue to promote the use of .hk and .香港 domain names, working closely with the industry and related organisations to promote the use of the .香港 domain name in the community. Together, we will bring the benefits of the use of .香港 domain names and the Internet to different sectors of our society, helping strengthen the healthy development of the Internet in Hong Kong,” said Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC.

Panelists for the discussion session included Mr. Choi Yu Shing, Unit-in-Charge of Youth SPOT21, HKFYG, Mr. Timothy Chow, General Manager of Cerebos (Hong Kong) Limited, Mr. Lawrence Leung, Information System Manager of Sunflower Travel Service Limited and Mr. Kelvin Woo, Business Development Manager of Speedy Group Corporation Limited. They shared their valuable insight in regard to the benefits and competitive advantages of using .香港.

The .香港 domain name is planned to be opened for public registration in May this year.

Registrations for a Chinese .香港 and an English .hk domain name of the same category will be at the price of one. Except those who have successfully registered a Chinese .香港 domain name during the soft launch period, all existing or new customers of English .hk domain names will be eligible to register a Chinese .香港 domain name of the same category at no additional charge when public registration commences.

For details, please visit www.hkirc.hk.

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About HKIRC
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a not-for-profit, non-statutory company limited by guarantee designated by the Government of the HKSAR to undertake the administration of Internet domain names under the .hk country code top level domain. HKIRC provides registration services for English domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .net.hk, .edu.hk, .gov.hk, .idv.hk, .hk and Chinese domain names ending with .公司.香港, .組織.香港, .網絡.香港, .教育.香港, .政府.香港, .個人.香港, .香港, and other domains to be introduced from time to time in Hong Kong.

Media Contacts:

HKIRC
Dorothy Chow / Ivy Or
Tel : + 852 2319 3883 / 23193828
Fax : + 852 2319 2626
Email : marketing@hkirc.hk

iPR Ogilvy
Karen Lee / Annie Ho
Tel : + 852 3920 7670 / 3920 7663
Fax : + 852 3170 6606
Email : karen.lee@iprogilvy.com / annie.ho@iprogilvy.com

2011-03-24

Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) held the official launch ceremony of the full Chinese .香港 Internationalised Country Code Top Level Domain (.香港 domain name) at Novotel Century Hotel, Wanchai. The ceremony was officiated by Mr. Stephen Mak, JP, Government Chief Information Officer, Mr. Peter Dengate Thrush, Chair of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), Mr. John Estmond Strickland, GBS, JP, Chairman of HKIRC and Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC. HKIRC has received positive response during the half-month soft launch period, with about 20,000 .香港 domain names activated. This encouraging feedback shows the great demand for the .香港 domain name among businesses and in the community.

Panelists for the discussion session included Mr. Choi Yu Shing, Unit-in-Charge of Youth SPOT21, HKFYG, Mr. Timothy Chow, General Manager of Cerebos (Hong Kong) Limited, Mr. Lawrence Leung, Information System Manager of Sunflower Travel Service Limited and Mr. Kelvin Woo, Business Development Manager of Speedy Group Corporation Limited. They shared their valuable insight in regard to the benefits and competitive advantages of using .香港.


Mr. John Estmond Strickland, GBS, JP, Chairman of HKIRC delivered a speech at the official launch ceremony of Full Chinese .香港 Domain Name.
 


(From left) Mr. John Estmond Strickland, GBS, JP, Chairman of HKIRC, Mr. Peter Dengate Thrush, Chair of ICANN, Mr. Stephen Mak, JP, Government Chief Information Officer and Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC officiated the launch ceremony of full Chinese .香港domain name.
 


Officiating guests and HKIRC’s board of directors toasted to the guests at the official launch ceremony of Full Chinese .香港 Domain Name.
 


(From left) Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC, Mr. Choi Yu Shing, Unit-in-Charge of Youth SPOT21, HKFYG, Mr. Timothy Chow, General Manager of Cerebos (Hong Kong) Limited, Mr. Lawrence Leung, Information System Manager of Sunflower Travel Service Limited and Mr. Kelvin Woo, Business Development Manager of Speedy Group Corporation Limited shared their valuable insight in regard to the benefits and competitive advantages of using .香港.

2011-01-25

Corporate Group
Gold Prize – www.uChannel.hk (The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups)
Company Profile: Set up by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups in 2008, uChannel.hk is a web-radio channel, providing a platform for young people to develop and hone their interests and skills in broadcasting. The channel is hosted and run by young people for young people, focusing on topics around their issues and their interests. Already gaining popularity in the community with more than 35 million hits and a weekly download rate of 20,000, uChannel.hk is proving a successful endeavour to promote healthy and positive messages to the youth of Hong Kong.


www.uChannel.hk won the Gold Prize for Corporate Group

Silver Prize – www.YesStyle.com.hk (YesStyle.com Limited)
Company Profile: YesStyle.com.hk offers a wide range of high quality fashion and beauty products from Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei and Hong Kong to customers from over 200 countries. The website features numerous localised services ranging from payment methods, logistics, promotions and marketing strategies to currency indication, social media tools and country-domain names to give Hong Kong customers a better shopping experience. YesStyle.com.hk also acts as a platform for emerging local designers to connect with potential business partners on an international scale.


www.YesStyle.com.hk won the Silver Prize for Corporate Group

Bronze Prize – www.hko.gov.hk ; www.weather.gov.hk (Hong Kong Observatory)
Company Profile: The Hong Kong Observatory’s website is tailored to users’ needs. It provides not only one-stop webpage specialised for user groups including schools, senior citizens, hikers and fishermen and others, but also provides personalised ”MyObservatory“ location-based weather and lightning location services. The website is informative and frequently updated, and has been continuously enhanced to meet the evolving needs of users. It also supports mobile Internet and links with major social networking websites. The usage rate increased by about 30 times in the past decade and reached 4.9 millions a day in 2010.


www.hko.gov.hk and www.weather.gov.hk won the Bronze Prize for Corporate Group

Merit Prize (In alphabetical order)
www.kmb.hk (Kowloon Motor Bus Co (1933) Ltd)
www.snb.hk (Skull & Bones)

SME Group
Gold Prize – iMusic.hk (Nathon Systems Ltd.)
Company Profile: iMusic.hk (Chinese domain: 音樂人.hk), launched in 2008, is a Hong Kong based Web 2.0 social website for the discovery and promotion of new music and emerging artists. It offers musicians an online channel to reach fans and promote their music, aiming to develop an innovative Web 2.0 music community with ‘Hong Kong Culture’ by encouraging music creations and members interaction.


iMusic.hk won the Gold Prize for SME Group

Silver Prize – www.livinginconflict.hk (Médecins Sans Frontières)
Company Profile: www.livinginconflict.hk – ‘“Living in Conflict”- Would you survive?’ in September 2010. With the interactive animation and live sound effects, they bring the people of Hong Kong to the front line of armed conflict to experience two adapted real stories. In the interactive stories, visitors can put themselves into the shoes of a mother in the Democratic Republic of Congo or a Surgeon in Gaza and make survival choices for them.


livinginconflict.hk won the Silver Prize for SME Group

Bronze Prize – www.anyidea.hk (Anyidea Company)
Company Profile: Anyidea.hk, an exchange platform for creativity, provides a brand new e-platform for designers where customers are privileged to set the bidding prices for their favourite pieces. This is a revolutionary service which puts customers and designers into a win-win situation. It has been established for five years and has already become the largest and the most popular designer website, supported by 4,000 designer members and 1,000 SMEs. With over 600 transactions completed, the site has total cumulative transaction revenue of more than 500 thousand dollars. Its brand new business model speeds up the traditional timeline of completing design pieces and represents a new development for creative business.


Anyidea.hk won the Bronze Prize for SME Group

Merit Prize (In alphabetical order)
www.discuss.com.hk (Networld Technology Ltd)
www.price.com.hk (Networld Technology Ltd)

Best New .hk Website Award
www.livinginconflict.hk (Médecins Sans Frontières)


www.livinginconflict.hk won the Best New .hk Website Award


Mr. John Estmond STRICKLAND, GBS, JP, Chairman of HKIRC presented a souvenir to Mr. Jeremy Godfrey, Government Chief Information Officer, the guest of honour at the event.


Mr. Jonathan Shea, CEO of HKIRC revealed the latest figures for .hk spamvertising and phising cases in 2010.

 

For more information of the winning sites, please click here.

2011-01-25

The 2010 Service Partner Award Presentation Ceremony with Spring Luncheon of Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) was held at Gloucestor Luk Kwok Hong Kong Hotel in Wanchai on 25 January 2011.

The annual event was first held in 2006. It aims at commending the new and existing Service Partners who excel in ‘.hk’ registrations and gives honour to the Partners achieving remarkable results in the past year. The nine annual awards are divided into local and overseas markets in three categories: the Best Performing Service Partner 2010, the Best Performing New Service Partner 2010, and Service Partner of the year 2010.

The winners for the 2010 Awards are as follows:

 

            
Best Performing Service Partner 2010 (Hong Kong) Gold Prize: Speedy Group Corporation Ltd

Best Performing Service Partner 2010 (Hong Kong) Silver Prize: ABC Computer Systems Ltd

Best Performing Service Partner 2010 (Hong Kong) Bronze Prize: UDomain Web Hosting Company Ltd

Best Performing Service Partner 2010 (Overseas) Gold Prize: HiChina Zhicheng Technology Co Ltd

Best Performing Service Partner 2010 (Overseas) Silver Prize: Todaynic.com International Ltd

Best Performing Service Partner 2010 (Overseas) Bronze Prize: Instra Corporation Pty Ltd
Best Performing New Service Partner 2010 (Overseas):
Foshan IPOWER. Inc. Ltd

Best Performing New Service Partner 2010 (Hong Kong):
Eznet International

Service Partner of The Year 2010: PCCW