- i-Pair is the biggest social and dating website in Taiwan – membership exceeds 4.65 million
- Total number of members married – and resultant babies – has reached 160,000 and 110,000 respectively
- 3 Hong Kong customers can enjoy i-Pair service for the lowest price worldwide – just $28 a month
- Customers can subscribe to a $49 monthly plan with additional upgraded service for the first month
- Service is safeguarded by security systems to create a fresh and wholesome network dating medium
Hong Kong, 27 November 2013 – 3 Hong Kong, the mobile telecommunications division of Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings Limited (HTHKH; stock code: 215), today announced a tie-up with SUNFun Info Co Ltd (“SUNFun”, GTSM: 5278) to launch Greater China’s most popular social and dating networking service plan in Hong Kong.
i-Pair enables each member to furnish a virtual apartment and look for new friends – including a “Mr or Ms Right” – via innovative interactivity at the i-Partment website.
3 Hong Kong studies the local gender gap and stays abreast of market trends
The gender gap in Hong Kong, by which women outnumber men, has never been so pronounced, according to research. In fact the men-to-women ratio for the 25-44 age group is now 7:10. What’s more, the first-time marriage median age for men and women has increased from 23.9 and 27 in 1981, to 29 and 31.1, respectively, in 2012. The total number of single men and women aged over 30 has exceeded 700,0001.
The picture painted by these statistics is creating demand for effective matchmaking. 3 Hong Kong has therefore seized the opportunity to link hands with SUNFun and take the lead to launch the service plans of i-Partment website and i-Pair mobile app in Hong Kong. The upshot will be a fresh and wholesome mobile networking medium via which customers can make new friends with peace of mind, despite their busy lifestyles.
Ms Amy Lung, Managing Director, HTHKH – Mobile, said: “There are more than 580 dating websites all over the world2. i-Pair is the most popular social and dating website in Taiwan, having brought together 160,000 members for marriage since launch in 2003. Through collaboration, we hope to introduce a social and dating networking service that conquers time and space constraints. 3 Hong Kong customers aged between 18 and 44 account for more than half our total customer base. This demographic grouping characteristically adopts innovative services, which we believe will help make i-Pair highly popular in Hong Kong.”
Mr Charming Chang, Chairman & CEO of SUNFun Info Co Ltd, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with 3HK, one of the biggest telecoms operators in Hong Kong, to jointly launch the i-Pair social and dating networking service plans. We are committed to facilitating a cloud and cross-platform social community. Users are no longer restricted by geographical limitations, thereby allowing members of a busy modern community to use i-Pair to meet new people of similar interests or discover romance. The i-Pair mobile app will enable any consumer to enjoy an online matchmaking service anytime, anywhere. We are committed to continuous i-Pair improvement for the benefit of our customers.”
Biggest social website in Taiwan3
Launched in 2003, i-Partment/SUNFun boasts Taiwan’s biggest social and dating website, with membership now exceeding 4.65 million. i-Partment/SUNFun’s matchmaking track record is impressive. Over the last 10 years, an average of one out of five members has succeeded in finding a dating partner, while one out of twenty has gone on to get married. The total number of members now married – and resultant babies – has reached 160,000 and 110,000 respectively4.
i-Pair boasts many innovative interactive features. For example, members can maintain privacy in terms of items such as personal diaries and albums, while interaction with other members can be performed via a message board, chat room, “interest expression” function and online games. In addition, sophisticated matching functionality enables members to search for friends with similar interests. Increasingly greater interactivity enables members to develop different levels of relationship with one another. These categories can include penpals, soulmates, close friends, pure dating partners, Internet lovers, real lovers, intimate partners or even spouses.
Members only need register for one account to login to both i-Partment website and i-Pair mobile app platforms. The website allows members to dress their avatars according to taste, decorate their own virtual apartments and even raise virtual pets. They can also use GPS to look for nearby members and check up-to-date status of friends via the mobile app anytime, anywhere.
$28 monthly plan exclusive to 3 Hong Kong customers subscribing to a monthly plan with handset or upgrading handset
3 Hong Kong is the only local operator collaborating with SUNFun to offer the i-Pair promotional social and dating monthly plans. Customers subscribing to a monthly plan with handset, or upgrading handset, can enjoy the lowest price worldwide – just $28 a month if subscribing to i-Pair as a designated value-added service. Or a customer can register as a Platinum VIP for $49 a month with additional upgraded service for the first month. Male members can enjoy unlimited free “interest expression” notifications, plus the privilege of reading 20 “mutual interest expression” and “dating invitation” notifications for free. This comes complete with one-to-one chatting for a limited time frame and 20,000 virtual crystals5 for free. Female members can get 200 i-coins – i-Pair virtual currency – for free in order to enjoy various interactive features.
Android users can purchase i-coins directly from Google Play via our direct carrier billing service. Fees are then charged directly to a 3 Hong Kong customer’s bill. This provides the utmost convenience and peace of mind when buying in-app services. In addition, a HK$500 monthly service cap protects customers from bill shocks and prevents them from going over budget.
Moreover, 3 Hong Kong customers subscribing to designated plans can get an HTC One Max or Butterfly s handset for $0 and take advantage of a special handset trade-in price and additional $300 rebate. Port-in customers can also get additional 1GB of monthly data up to 24 months and the 3 Super Switch data transfer service.
Creating a fresh and wholesome network dating medium
Members must be aged 18 years or older to register for the service. i-Pair usage is safeguarded by various security and filtering systems. In addition, members can notify assigned family members and friends via the system before meeting Internet friends. They can also report offensive behaviour on the part of other members to help eliminate network crime and create a safe and wholesome network platform.
For further i-Pair details, please call our sales hotline on 3166 2222, visit any 3Shop or go to www.i-pair.hk.
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About 3 Hong Kong
3 Hong Kong is a leading mobile service provider in Hong Kong offering advanced voice, data and roaming services under the “3” brand via its 4G LTE, 3G and GSM dual-band networks. 3 Hong Kong is the mobile division of Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings Limited (HTHKH; stock code: 215), which is a group member of Hutchison Whampoa Limited (stock code: 13). For more information on 3 Hong Kong, please visit www.three.com.hk. For more information on HTHKH, visit www.hthkh.com.
About SUNFun Info Co Ltd
SUNFun Info Co Ltd (GTSM: 5278) launched the i-Partment website in August 2003 and was listed on Taiwan’s GreTai Securities Market (GTSM) in June 2013. SUNFun now provides the i-Partment website and i-Pair app services, which have more than 4.65 million registered members. The i-Pair app was launched in the 4th quarter of 2011. Users are not restricted by geographical limitations, allowing a busy modern community to apply this social cross-platform to meeting new people or the love of their lives. The platform undoubtedly acts as an agent to empower users to expand circles of friends. In the past 10 years, 160,000 members have got married and 110,000 babies were born because of this platform in Taiwan. For further “i-Pair” information, please visit: www.i-pair.hk. | 
