SingTel has launched what it says is the world’s first commercial 300 Mbps LTE-Advanced mobile broadband service.
The company will today start selling the Huawei E5786 dongle for S$399, or S$168 with any 24-month mobile broadband plan.
SingTel plans to introduce more compatible devices, including smartphones and tablets, in the coming months.
The LTE-A network covers Changi Airport, Singapore Expo and the area around Bugis MRT station.
SingTel has set targets of covering the CBD, Orchard, Shenton Way and City Hall areas by the end of August, more than half of the island by the end of October and achieving nationwide coverage by the end of the first quarter of 2015.
“With multimedia applications consuming increasingly more bandwidth, speed is everything,” SingTel vice president of consumer marketing Johan Buse commented. “The launch of the Huawei E5786 enables us to bring the benefits of LTE-Advanced services to Singaporeans before anyone else in the world.”
SingTel soft-launched its 300Mbps LTE-A network in May, and revealed plans for this month’s mobile dongle launch. SingTel rival M1 plans to upgrade its LTE network to 300Mbps LTE-Advanced by the end of the year.
Other APAC operators including Hong Kong’s CSL and SK Telecom are also upgrading their networks to 300Mbps LTE-A.