Cellular operator SmarTone Mobile Communications has cut its international call rates to what it claims are the lowest in Hong Kong, in a drive to maintain its airtime revenues. Chief executive Hubert Ng Ching-wah said he did not want to start a price war but to convince customers they could afford to dial internationally using a mobile phone rather than waiting for a fixed-line phone. The company would not say which partners would be providing the international call-back service that allows the price reductions to be made. The offers do not include calls to the mainland. The company said its enhanced full-rate technology allowed vastly improved quality on calls, bringing it closer to the standard expected of a land line. Mr Ng said it was probable that SmarTone would look to team up with one of Hong Kong's new personal communication service operators and exploit dual-band handsets, allowing customers to switch between different networks. This would not be in the near future. 'I don't see the urgency. We still have capacity in our own network,' he said.