In case you deliberately cut your phone conversation with someone and you’re in a hurry to scan your brain for some sensible alibi, just remember this piece of advice: you can’t use the “there’s no signal at the park” excuse.

The government is planning to put up three base stations on remote areas to improve mobile phone coverage in sparsely populated areas like Southwest Lantau and Northeast New Territories, where numerous hiking trails are located.

In general this move should help everyone especially in terms of emergency. For example, when a group of hikers come across a hillfire in a remote area, having a mobile phone that works is a life saver. History is a good reference for this benefit.

A spokesman for the Civil Aid Service said it had taken part in 54 rescue operations in the first nine months of this year, and expected to see an increase this year on its 73 operations last year. Over the same period the Fire Services Department has been called to 103 countryside rescues involving 225 people. Five of the cases involved deaths.

At the same time, with these phone coverage available on more locations, many Hong Kong people on a hiking trip couldn’t help but get their mobile phone and start making their presence by chatting loudly. If I want to listen to the sound of the birds and insects, I will be disappointed as I will hear that human noise. The only hope for an annoyed fellow hiker is that the battery would run out.

This also exposes more risks posed by continuous use of mobile phones. Of course this could mean more minutes (and chance of hefty surcharges for exceeding alloted minutes) and more money to phone companies.

I wish phone signal jammers be in place at areas that should be quiet such as library, cinema, MTR trains, or parks. In this case, we can enjoy silence and tranquility at places we expect to enjoy them.