- Download our Moving to Hong Kong Guide (PDF)
Keeping in touch with friends and family back home is a breeze for expats living in Hong Kong. This fast-paced business hub has some of the world’s most sophisticated telecommunications, and staying connected is both simple and easy on the pocket. The internet, mobile phones, postal services, and English-language media are all easy to sort out.
Internet in Hong Kong
You can get internet in Hong Kong almost anywhere. Most residents use fibre to get online, although cable and DSL are also available. Internet speeds in Hong Kong are among the fastest in the world.
Landlords rarely include internet in the rent, but the sign-up process is quick, and there are several reputable providers to choose from. Be warned that some providers charge by usage rather than a flat monthly fee. There are also thousands of public WiFi hotspots dotted across the city.
Internet censorship
There is little internet censorship in Hong Kong, especially compared with mainland China. You can still use Google, WhatsApp, YouTube, and international news and social media sites as normal. As in most countries, the authorities block obscene and pirated material.
The main thing to be aware of is the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, known as Article 23, which Hong Kong’s legislature passed in 2024: more online activity can now count as a national security offence, and residents need to be careful about posting politically sensitive content. Everyday browsing and streaming are otherwise unaffected.
If you cross the border into mainland China, keep in mind that WhatsApp, Google, and many other Western apps are blocked behind the Great Firewall there, so it is worth arranging a VPN or a roaming plan before you go.
Mobile phones in Hong Kong
Mobile phones are everywhere in Hong Kong. There are more active mobile connections than people, and many residents carry more than one SIM. Spend an afternoon out, and you will notice that if someone is old enough to talk, they are old enough to have a phone here. Most people rely heavily on messaging apps such as WhatsApp and WeChat.
Phones are often free or discounted when you sign a new contract, and most contracts are two years long. Signing up is straightforward. You usually need nothing more than proof of address and identity: a passport or Hong Kong ID card will do.
If you would rather not be tied to a contract, prepaid SIMs are sold in convenience stores across the city, and eSIMs are widely available too. These are usually the cheapest and simplest ways to make calls and get online. Every SIM card must be registered to a named user before it will work. That includes prepaid cards and eSIMs, so you will need to show ID to activate one.
Useful links
Postal services in Hong Kong
Postal services in Hong Kong are reliable, and Hongkong Post runs an efficient operation. A locally posted letter is usually delivered the next working day. International post is slower: allow one to two weeks for airmail, or a couple of months for the cheaper surface mail. Sending post abroad is reasonably priced, and generally cheaper than posting from the US.
Useful links
English media and news in Hong Kong
Getting hold of English media in Hong Kong is no trouble at all. The Standard, a free weekday paper, and the South China Morning Post are the two main English-language newspapers, and both cover local and international news. There are several other English-language papers and magazines on sale here, and international business titles such as the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal are easy to find.
Cable and satellite packages in Hong Kong include a wide range of channels, and you can pay a small extra charge to add popular foreign ones. Many residents stream from international streaming platforms rather than pay for a full cable package. Either way, English-language shows and news are easy to find.