Technical delays will push back the launch of Sunday Communications' third-generation mobile services until May, according to the mainland company building the network, Huawei Technologies.

The postponement will leave rivals Hutchison Telecom and SmarTone Telecommunications in control of Hong Kong's 3G market through the peak subscriber period between Christmas and Lunar New Year. Of the four 3G licensees in Hong Kong, only Hutchison is in operation so far.