Public-Private Partnership (PPP): A Win-Win-Win (WWW) Approach for Effective Public Service - A Case Study of the Award-winning Indoor Communications System of Hong Kong Police Force

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) has been popular in information infrastructure development since last decade mainly because of the fact that the information infrastructure has become more and more capital-intensive and it is not economic for one single company or the government agency to fund it. In most of the cases, the end users are normally the general public. One of the examples is the partnership between Telstra and Australian government on Australian Next Generation Network Initiative which aims to provide nation-wide broadband connectivity for Australian citizens. The case of this study is different – it is an agency under the government that seeks partnership with private sector and the end user is the agency itself, namely Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF). By configuring the enterprise network of Hong Kong Police Force with part of the indoor facilities of mobile operators, the Hong Kong Police Force is able to achieve full coverage of shopping malls and Hong Kong’s phenomenon tower buildings so as to provide emergency services. This has on the one hand saved the budget of government, while on the other hand provided extra income for operators despite the fact that all operators have joined the scheme for the intention to demonstrate their corporate social responsibility. Of course, the most significant beneficiary is the public. Currently, this award-winning scheme has been adopted elsewhere including Home Office in the U.K. that her Emergency Services Network (ESN) will be provided by mobile operator in 4G LTE technology. This study examined operational challenges facing indoor radio coverage to emergency services and argued explicitly that the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) would be an appropriate solution. The outcomes are positive and meaningful. It has significant implications for the future development of the public service. The success of the project has not only built an efficient and effective indoor communications system for Hong Kong Police Force, but also provided profound experience in formulating an effective public-private partnership model both technically and financially to ensure a quality public service.