At least one mobile phone operator has cried foul after being denied advertising time on Now Broadband TV - an offshoot of telecommunications giant PCCW, which insists rivals are not allowed to buy coverage on the network.
But a senior telecoms watchdog official said Now was unlikely to be breaching anti-competition rules, while a lawmaker conceded such acts would not be regulated until the proposed fair competition law was passed.
A mobile phone operator told the South China Morning Post that his company had twice failed to run a marketing campaign on Now TV channels. Now said in written explanations in May 2006 and July last year that prior approval from PCCW's senior management was required for broadcasting of any advertisement that directly competed with PCCW's products and services, including the internet, broadband, media and telecoms products.
The proposed TV commercials were considered to be for services in direct competition with PCCW's services.
'The practice is unfair to competitors but there seem to be grey areas in the ordinance,' said a manager who declined to be identified.
'We even have no idea if the issue is under the jurisdiction of the Office of Telecommunications Authority or the Broadcasting Authority, or neither.'
