HKT and Huawei demonstrate world-first 4.5G 1Gbps network

[Hong Kong, Nov 3, 2015] HKT and Huawei today successfully demonstrated the world’s first 4.5G (4.5th generation) 1Gbps (Gigabit per second) mobile network at the Global Mobile Broadband Forum 2015 in Hong Kong, continuing to lead the evolution of the 4G LTE standard.

With hundreds of guests witnessing peak download speed of as high as 1.2Gbps, the two partners have delivered the fastest network specification in the world. This is a significant milestone towards the commercial availability of 4.5G, which is expected to be as early as 2016.

Mr. Alex Arena, Group Managing Director of HKT, and Mr. Ken Hu (R), Rotating CEO and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Huawei, demonstrate the world’s first 4.5G 1Gbps mobile network in Hong Kong at Global Mobile Broadband Forum.

HKT, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider, is one of the global industry’s mobile broadband pioneers. In partnership with Huawei, HKT launched Hong Kong’s first two component carrier (2CC) carrier aggregation (CA) network in 2014, offering single-user peak download speed of 300Mbps. Earlier this year, HKT and Huawei demonstrated the world's first IP-RAN based 3CC CA with a single-user peak rate of 450Mbps. Today’s demonstration introduces a world-first 4CC CA network, with a peak download speed that is 2.6 times faster than the 3CC CA network record to mark the arrival of the 4.5G era.

Mr. Alex Arena, Group Managing Director of HKT, said, “HKT strives to continuously advance its technologies in order to provide the ultimate user experience. Harnessing the latest 4.5G 1Gbps innovations from Huawei and the strength of our extensive fiber-rich network, we are proud to set a new benchmark for global mobile broadband and let this year’s Global Mobile Broadband Forum attendees experience the world's fastest network in Hong Kong.”

Mr. Ken Hu, Rotating CEO and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Huawei, said, “Today we are marking the beginning of the 4.5G era of wireless communications, with 1Gbps as the new mobile broadband network rate benchmark. As the strategic partner of the world’s leading telecom operators, Huawei will continue to help them build the innovative wireless networks that will expand their business and make our world more connected.”

With the introduction of 4.5G LTE technology, operators will be able to improve the user experience and support the proliferation of machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and the Internet of Things, as well as new mobile Internet applications, such as those using virtual reality glasses and drone technology. As one of the most developed cities in the world, Hong Kong is at the forefront of wireless communications technology adoption. Its mobile penetration rate is over 220% and wireless data services have grown eight-fold in the past five years.

Now in its sixth year, the annual Global Mobile Broadband (MBB) Forum is a highly anticipated industry event that attracts the world’s top operators and MBB ecosystem and vertical industry leaders. Held in Hong Kong for the first time, this year’s conference will showcase 4.5G applications, 5G innovation, Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and MBB network evolution, among other trends. The Hong Kong MBB Experience Tour on HKT’s 1Gbps LTE commercial network is a highlight of the Global MBB Forum 2015.