Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN) will offer an ultra-high speed one gigabit per second (Gbps) broadband service to residential users for $1,680 per month, giving those willing to pay the fastest possible internet connection in the city.
It is the company's second high-speed internet launch in seven months. In November, the fixed-line carrier rolled out what was then the city's fastest residential broadband service, at 100 megabits per second (Mbps).
Analysts at the time had expressed doubts about the actual benefits of the service, priced at $268 a month, as most internet applications can work well with 10 Mbps.
Chief executive Ricky Wong Wai-kay yesterday said that the one Gpbs service is targeted towards professionals working from home, especially those who engaged in high bandwidth-consuming tasks such as multimedia editing.
'We are not ruling out introducing a 10 Gbps service to residential customers soon,' Mr Wong said.
To promote the service, HKBN is launching an advertising campaign starring China's first male Olympics track and field gold medallist, Liu Xiang.