On the eve of Hong Kong’s 25th handover anniversary, Three Hong Kong set another milestone by becoming the first mobile telecoms operator to announce the activation of the base stations of the 700MHz band 5G spectrum. The 700MHz band offers extensive coverage with ultra-strong penetration, enabling 5G services to support Hong Kong’s development as a smart city.

Following the directives of the 700MHz band 5G spectrum from the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA), Three Hong Kong activated the base stations of the 700MHz band spectrum and began operating at midnight on 30 June.

During the first phase of deployment, Three leveraged the 700MHz band spectrum to enhance deeper network coverage in the New Territories North and West including the low-density residential areas. Three will further extend the deeper 5G coverage to low-density residential areas throughout this year. Customers on boat trips or conducting activities offshore will also benefit from better signals powered by the 700MHz band spectrum.

By integrating the 700MHz band spectrum with the existing 2.1GHz (n1) or 3.5GHz (n78) bands of 5G spectrum by CA (Carrier Aggregation) and DSS (Dynamic Spectrum Sharing), Three customers can expect best download speed performances to be doubled in specific scenarios.

Kenny Koo, Executive Director and CEO of HTHKH said that as the first Telco to provide 5G services back in 2020, Three has achieved a 99% 5G coverage rate across Hong Kong for some time already. “We also took the lead to activate the 700MHz band 5G spectrum to enhance deeper indoor coverage for part of the remote and residential areas,” he said, “which helps promote 5G home and commercial applications thereby moving forward Hong Kong’s smart city development to a new chapter.”

Three is also the head start operator launching the enhanced 5G router which delivers up to double speed. A range of 5G handsets supporting the 700MHz band spectrum are also available at 3Shops, and customers can visit www.three.com.hk for more information.