The company, part of Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings (HTHKH), used its spectrum in both the 3.5 GHz and 28GHz bands.
Kenny Koo, executive director and CEO, said: “3 Hong Kong took the initiative to carry out end-to-end trials in various 5G bands in preparation for a new era of mobile communications.”
The company said that the demonstration makes 3 Hong Kong one of the first mobile operators to run outdoor trials in two major 5G spectrum bands and enables a better understanding of their transmission characteristics, as well as other technological aspects. The test was carried out at a trial cell site in Causeway Bay.
Outdoor trials using 400MHz of spectrum in the 28GHz band achieved a downlink speed peaking at more than 2Gbps, an early demonstration of the high speeds promised by 5G technology.
Koo said: “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.”
The company said it has been working tirelessly to develop 5G technology in order to launch smooth, high-speed and diverse 5G services, once technology standards are set and spectrum is released.
3 Hong Kong said that long-term development of 5G technology requires different spectrum bands to complement one another. “For example, the 28GHz band delivers high-speed service but its high-frequency nature restricts coverage to a limited area. However, greater coverage is achievable when the 28GHz band is complemented by the 3.5GHz band.”
It added: “Such an arrangement enables operators to extend coverage and provide a seamless 5G experience. Harnessing the beneficial attributes of each spectrum band also assists operators to meet all the various demands on 5G applications.”
