Local telecom operator CTM will let customers try out its 4G service next month and tariffs are expected to be lower than for its current 3G service, the company’s vice president for commercial affairs Ebel Cham Pou I said.
Cham made the remark at the company’s press briefing held at Sands Macau last week to give his company’s latest updates about its 4G service and the launch of a “4G experience” with Samsung’s flagship handsets: Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+.
CTM, 3 Macau, China Telecom (Macau) and SmarTone (Macau) were granted 4G licenses which requires them to provide 4G services to the public by the end of the year.
CTM Network Services vice president Declan Leong Pui Hong said at the briefing that the construction for the company’s 4G network had been completed and was now in the “fine-tuning” stage.
According to Leong, with CITIC Telecom International as the major shareholder, CTM has invested 600 million patacas in the construction of a brand-new 4G network that supports both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) modes to provide a better and more reliable telecom service. The network construction partner is Huawei Technologies.
Leong said that when CTM 4G+ is officially launched, it would have over 98% outdoor coverage and download speed would be at least 112 Mbps.
Concerning the tariffs for the 4G network service, Cham said that the company’s proposal was still being reviewed by the Telecommunications Regulation Bureau (DSRT).
Asked whether it would cost less than the 3G service, Cham said, “That’s the direction we’re heading. As there is competition in the market, our tariffs will also be competitive.”
Cham said the unlimited data usage plan was also included in the proposed tariffs.
“We’ll start inviting customers to try out the 4G service and we’ll launch it officially when the quality of the service is at its best. We hope we can roll it out very soon,” Cham said.
This article originally appeared in The Macau Post Daily.