Hutchison Telecommunication Hong Kong Holdings' mobile arm 3 Hong Kong has activated five component carrier aggregation (5CC CA) on its 4.5G network.
The operator has combined spectrum across the 900-MHz, 1800-MHz, 2100-MHz, 2300-MHz and 2600-MHz bands, achieving maximum speeds of 1.1Gbps during a network trial.
The deployment follows 3 Hong Kong's recent completion of refarming of 2100-MHz spectrum. With the launch, 3 Hong Kong has become the first operator in the city to activate 5CC CA.
The move coincides with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ handsets, the first to be compatible with 5CC.
Meanwhile Australia's Telstra announced it has recorded speeds in excess of 1Gbps on a commercial network using the Galaxy S9 and S9+.
Telstra has activated gigabit-class speeds in a 3km radius of the Sydney and Melbourne CBDs and a 2km radius of the Brisbane and Adelaide CBDs, with construction underway in the Perth CBD.
The operator said most customers using the devices will see typical speeds of between 5Mbps and 300Mbps in these coverage areas.
“This is the first time in Australia that speeds in excess of 1Gbps have been demonstrated on a commercial network with a commercial smartphone,” Telstra head of mobiles Kevin Teoh said.
“While customers using these phones on Telstra’s 4GX service will typically see download speeds in the range of 5-300Mbps – tests like these show that, from time to time, Galaxy S9 and S9+ owners may see significantly higher speeds in Telstra’s gigabit-enabled coverage areas.”