CSL seeks to keep edge by doubling download speeds

CSL, the largest wireless network operator in Hong Kong, with brands including 1010 and one2free, yesterday showcased a new high-speed service with theoretical peak download speeds of up to 300 megabits a second - double its current best.

Chief executive Phil Mottram said he expected the new high-speed mobile service, called LTE Advanced 300, would be put in place across its network in Hong Kong in the next three to four months.

CSL, a subsidiary of Australian telecommunications giant Telstra, launched LTE CAT 4 commercially in Hong Kong in May, with a theoretical web download throughput of 150Mb a second. The standard speed of 4G networks is up to 100Mb a second, while the fastest 3G networks run at 42Mb a second.

"If you think of the network as a highway, we have the widest roads of any operator in Hong Kong," Mottram said.

He said LTE-A300 would offer customers web speeds that none of the company's competitors could match. "They basically can't," he said. "They don't have enough spectrum unless they buy more spectrum."

CSL said the highest speed offered by a competitor in Hong Kong was, in theory, 225 megabits a second.

"We have invested huge amounts in ensuring that we are leading the way to greater speeds and stability by building out the network capacity and leading-edge 4G LTE capabilities," Mottram said.