No.16 Tech Hotspots 2008

, China

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What's so special about Hong Kong?
Hong Kong is an international financial hub: most of the world's biggest banks have a presence in a city that has been described as the most economically free in the world - both during its years as a British colony and after the Chinese handover in 1997.

Certainly a lot of money is made and traded in Hong Kong. And nothing oils the wheels of tech like truckloads of cash.

Since handover, the Chinese government has gone to a lot of trouble to propel the city into the internet age - publishing a digital strategy every three years since 1998 setting out plans for comms infrastructure, ecommerce, e-government and more.

These days Hong Kong has one of the highest broadband penetrations in the world and mobile phone penetration exceeds 100 per cent, as hotspot judge Eileen Yu notes.

One example of how technology has been successfully integrated into the city's infrastructure is the Octopus contactless card that has been up and running for more than a decade, enabling residents to ditch cash when paying for public transport and goods from shops, vending machines, cafés and more - putting London's much more recent Oyster card system to shame.

The Octopus system was ground-breaking at the time it was introduced, as judge John Higgins points out, and "remains a world beacon".

Key tech companies BT, China Mobile, Hutchison Whampoa, IBM, Lenovo.

Key institutions Hong Kong Stock Exchange, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute.

Local salaries Senior software engineer, $42,000.

Famous faces Li Ka-shing, chairman of Hutchison Whampoa; Wang Jianzhou CEO of China Mobile.

Population 6.9 million.

iPod cost $148 Source: CommSec, Apple.

Time zone GMT +8 hours.

Voltage and plugs 220V 50Hz three-pin UK-style, also rounded three-pin.

How to get there Fly in to Hong Kong International Airport - Chek Lap Kok Airport.

Watch out for Smog.

Places to stay, eat or drink Island Shangri-la, Intercontinental Hong Kong.

What you might not know The name Hong Kong translates as 'fragrant harbour' but air quality and pollution is a serious problem in the city. Hazy conditions are caused by vehicle emissions and smog from power plants and industry in the neighbouring Pearl River Delta region of China.