Digital Inclusion for Our Communities
By harnessing our competitive advantage in technology and telecommunications, we’re taking action to bridge the digital divide within our communities – made possible through empowering digital literacy and cyber wellness, as well as by removing the barriers for digital access.
Our Digital Inclusion Priorities
We’re committed to providing accessible and reliable services, and also promoting digital technologies as solutions to address societal needs for groups like the elderly, youths, people with disabilities, low-income households, and others. Through our many CSI (Corporate Social Investment) initiatives, we strive to achieve positive digital inclusion outcomes by prioritising three key areas, namely, Access, Skills and Use.
Digital Inclusiveness for our Communities
Besides providing our community’s most disadvantaged with free and affordable access to broadband and mobile services, we’re also bridging the digital divide by leveraging our scale, resources and technology. All year round, we invest in a wide range of initiatives – from our award-winning PC Doctors volunteer programme to our Net Friends with Elderly programme (co-organised with the Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service) – that impart critical skills, knowledge and the tools necessary to enhance digital literacy for target groups like children, youths, low income families, and the elderly living alone.
Creating Shared Value Initiatives
As society changes through advancements in digital technology, many social profit organisations (SPOs) – groups whose purpose is to enable our communities – risk falling behind. Embracing our role to “pay it forward”, we steadfastly undertake a wide array of IT and digital empowerment initiatives, which have included free IT workshops, cybersecurity consultations, discounted ICT solutions and even membership into our free-of-charge HKBN SPO IT Club.
Strategically, our work in these areas are creating shared value (CSV) that benefits both our business and the communities that each SPO is serving.
For SPOs interested in connecting with us, please email csi@hkbn.com.hk.
A Talent-force for Good
As members of our communities, we give back in the best way possible: by volunteering our time and technical expertise for the people and causes that need it most. Taking on a wide array of activities and events, the mission for each Talent-volunteer is to “make our home a better place to live” for groups like the elderly, youths, people with disabilities, low-income households, and many others.
“I’m proud for the opportunity to inspire children by sharing the latest artificial intelligence knowledge. Our team really enjoyed getting together for social good and having fun at the same time.”
Jethro Au, Co-Owner and Senior Manager – Information Technology
Safety & Cyber Wellness
Digital safety starts with knowledge. And a smart way that we can make an impact is through education in the communities. For this reason, we continue to embrace collaborations with community partners, who work with us to provide educational opportunities on issues like information security, personal information protection, cyber empathy and much more.
Past examples of our work in these areas include organising cybersecurity workshops for seniors and children, initiating the 18-month Net’s Be Wise pilot programme to enhance the digital intelligence of around 2,000 Hong Kong primary school students, and launching the Cyber Wellness in the Dark learning experience for youths.
HKBN SPO IT Club
In many ways, our free of charge SPO IT Club is the culmination of HKBN’s efforts to bridge the digital divide for Hong Kong’s SPO (social profit organisations) community – now made available via a centralised platform to get pro-bono workshops, technical consultations and other initiatives. Knowing that many SPOs lack the resources to keep up digitally, our SPO IT Club helps by providing expertise and support in areas like cybersecurity, IT training, workflow digitalisation, as well as through discounts on HKBN ICT solutions.
HKBN PC Doctors
First initiated in May 2015, our award-winning HKBN PC Doctors volunteer programme takes full advantage of our Talents’ technical expertise to provide free computer diagnosis, repairs and even computer workshops for our community’s underprivileged families. Over the years, the programme has expanded in scope, bringing our Talents and expertise to impact the lives of thousands, including youths, women, and the elderly.
HKBN Talent CSI Fund
Established in July 2015 via $5 million of initial startup capital from our Co-Owners, the HKBN Talent CSI Fund is an independently operated charity with an aim to support youth related social investment projects through innovative and outside-the-box ideas. To date, the Fund and its many empowerment projects have impacted more than 6,000 beneficiaries.
Cyber Wellness in the Dark
Well known for its experiential activities promoting social inclusion, Dialogue In the Dark (HK) Foundation (DIDF) teamed up with us to create a pitch dark experience themed around cybersecurity – Cyber Wellness In The Dark. With our team of cybersecurity experts having played a key role in its design, this unique tour has helped younger students come away with the “cyber-smarts” to better handle online risks and dangers.
Free & Discounted Services for the Disadvantaged
Over the years, HKBN has continued embracing our responsibility to minimise the barriers of digital access for the community’s most disadvantaged. From free broadband connections and mobile plans to discounts on high-speed connectivity services, we’ve worked tirelessly with NGOs to make sure that thousands of families and individuals have the communications access they need for education, work, banking, entertainment and staying in touch with others.
TEENgineer Programme
With a focus on the next generation, our TEENgineer (Teenager + Engineer) programme in Guangzhou helps embolden underprivileged youths via knowledge and discovery. Since 2020, the TEENgineer programme, led by our technical voluenteers, has equipped over 100 youths with essential IT skills, expanding their horizons and fostering problem-solving abilities through technology. By sharing our expertise, we are actively inspiring a brighter future for these curious young individuals.