Hong Kong, 18 June, 2015 – 3 Hong Kong, the mobile communications division of Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings Limited (HTHKH; stock code: 215) today unveiled the Elderly Time Slot concept at every 3Shop. Also announced was collaboration with the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association (SCHSA) to launch the Safety Phone® in furtherance of a program to make digital technology – such as mobile communications – more readily available to less-privileged sections of society in order to further promote digital inclusion.
Making the everyday benefits of the hi-tech era more available to the elderly
Digital products such as PCs, tablets, smartphones and wearable devices are commonplace in Hong Kong in this hi-tech era – but the small number of senior citizens enjoying these lifestyle-enhancing gadgets is disproportionately lower than that of the younger generation. A survey1 by the Hong Kong Government’s Census and Statistics Department between June and August last year showed that 87.2% to 97.5% of people aged 15 to 54 years were using smartphones – compared with only 24.3% of those aged 65 or older. These results revealed a Hong Kong “digital divide” of gulf-like proportions.
HTHKH Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Tan said: “3 Hong Kong is determined to make the everyday benefits of mobile communications attainable for all sections of society. As part of our ‘Better at 3’ philosophy, we have created the Elderly Time Slot concept in order to lend a helping hand to senior citizens seeking to get the best from smartphone functionality. We believe opening up the advantages of modern technology to senior citizens represents a significant contribution to digital inclusion. At the same time, we are extending our existing collaboration with the SCHSA to launch the Safety Phone® as a meaningful and practical aid to the elderly.”
Elderly Time Slot helps the elderly get the best from smartphone functionality
The Elderly Time Slot concept has been designed to enable senior citizens to master their smartphones with ease. Starting today and running until 31 August, any elderly person can take his or her smartphone to a 3Shop for a 15-minute one-on-one basic smartphone operation tutorial. Our staff will explain smartphone functionality covering activities such as photography, browsing the Internet, Wi-Fi connectivity, instant messaging and social networking. The workshops will take place at designated times – please see appendix for details – at every 3Shop (excludes 3Xpress).
Safety Phone® comes complete with 24-hour Emergency Link Button® lifeline
3 Hong Kong today launched the Safety Phone® in collaboration with the SCHSA. The news will be welcomed by senior citizens and follows hard on the feels of our 4G LTE Family Plan and e-Care Link package announcements. One of the beauties of Safety Phone® is an Emergency Link Button® that connects users directly to a 24-hour Call & Care service centre when pressed. In addition, family members can opt for the e-See Find service, which identifies a user’s approximate location whenever necessary.
The Safety Phone® is now available to 3 Hong Kong customers for $0, if subscribing2 to a tariff plan of $198. What’s more, customers subscribing to the Safety Phone® before 5 July could be entitled to an extra two months’ service fee rebate3.
For more details, please call 3 Hong Kong’s sales hotline on 3166 2222, visit www.three.com.hk or 3 Hong Kong’s Facebook Fanpage at www.facebook.com/threeHK.
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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. |
