3 Hong Kong wraps up 3.5/28 GHz 5G trials

3 hong kong 5G
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3 Hong Kong says it has completed outdoor 5G trials in both the 3.5-GHz and 28-GHz spectrum bands.

The operator says it conducted indoor and outdoor trials in the third quarter of 2018 involving 5G NR equipment in the 28 GHz band. Outdoor trials using 400 MHz of millimeter-wave spectrum achieved a downlink speed peaking at 3.2 Gbps.

For the 3.5GHz band trial, 3 Hong Kong established a trial massive MIMO cell site in Causeway Bay in the second half of 2018 and ran speed and coverage trials with 100 MHz of spectrum, achieving network speeds over 2 Gbps.

3 HK added that its trial found that 3.5-GHz band coverage is comparable with the 1800-MHz band when used in conjunction with massive MIMO technology.

3 HK has temporary permits to trial 5G in both bands. The Communications Authority plans to allocate spectrum in auctions next year, although it will not charge spectrum fees for the millimeter-wave spectrum. The CA plans to enable licensees to launch 5G services in 2020.

“We welcome the government’s decision to allow various of its premises to accommodate 5G base stations, and we hope the application and approval processes can be simplified and accelerated to help Hong Kong’s 5G development,” said Kenny Koo executive director and CEO of Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong (HTHKH), 3 HK’s owner.

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