Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN) has introduced a quad-play plan bundling mobile, fixed-line telephony, fiber broadband and OTT services at prices as low as HK$248 ($32) per month, as the operator officially launched its MVNO service on Tuesday.
HKBN CEO and co-founder William Yeung said the “free-to-go” quad-play offering has set an unprecedented example in the market as it’s the first operator in the city to launch such a service without requiring customers to sign a fixed term contract.
“Our goal is crystal clear…We will leverage an integrated quad price with unprecedented household savings and service convenience to disrupt the legacy broadband, fixed-voice, content and mobile standalone segments,” the executive said.
“If you are going to have all these services from other operators, it would cost you at least over HK$1000 each month,” Yeung added.
HKBN, which received a license from OFCA to offer MVNO services in July, has also introduced five mobile tariff plans at a monthly price ranged from HK$88 (unlimited at 384kbps) to HK$446 (unlimited 4G).
Yeung said the mobile services plans are designed to accommodate all users and their voracious demand for data and communications services.
The mobile services will be delivered over the mobile networks of China Mobile Hong Kong and SmarTone, who are who also reselling capacity over HKBN’s fixed-line network to customers.
Yeung said HKBN is initially offering the services with SIM card only but the company in talks with handset suppliers including Apple to introduce new plans with popular smartphone brands in future.
HKBN aims to sign up at least 150,000 subscribers within the first year, nearly 2% of the total market. The company launched a trail service in August and had signed up several thousand new customers so far, most from CSL, the mobile arm of HKT.
Yeung said the company doesn’t expect to see the new mobile service as a major revenue contributor for the company at the moment.
“For us, [the MVNO service] is more a means to help us gain more share [from our competitors] and retain our customers,” Yeung noted.
The launch of MVNO service is the company’s latest effort to wrestle more share from existing competitors like PCCW HKT, which has been dominating in the city’s fixed broadband and mobile market.
In addition to mobile service, HKBN also expanded into the enterprise market by acquiring New World Telecom in February. The company renamed the division to HKBN Enterprise Solutions last week.
Meanwhile, HKBN is also reportedly one of the seven potential bidders for Wharf Holding’s telecoms division Wharf T&T.