Nov 20, 2007 (Tarifica Alert/Access Intelligence via COMTEX)
An HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) mobile broadband service from Smartone-Vodafone, which covers the whole of Hong Kong including the metro system, was launched on 14th November 2007.
The service provides download speeds of up to 7.2 Mbit/s and an upload rate of up to 2 Mbit/s. Postpaid prices start at HK$ 348.00 per month for a 30- month contract and go up to HK$ 488.00 for an 18-month contract. The modem costs HK$ 1,680 but is free on the 30-month contract. Usage is 'unlimited' for postpaid subscribers although a fair usage policy applies.
Prepaid users pay HK$ 2.00 per MB up to a maximum of HK$ 48 per day. The initial cost to cover the modem is HK$ 1,888 which includes HK$ 300 of inclusive data usage. Data roaming costs HK$ 0.12/ KB on all plans.
Tarifica's Take:
Competing mobile operator PCCW offers unlimited mobile broadband for HK$ 488.00 per month, and prepaid for HK$ 0.08 per KB. Another Hong Kong 3G operator CSL charges HK$ 538.00 per month for unlimited mobile broadband access along with access to WiFi hotspots. Smartone's new offer compares favourably with these, but it is the fixed broadband market that it is really aimed at. A downlink speed of
7.2 Mbit/s is easily comparable to speeds offered by ADSL providers, and an upload speed of 2 Mbit/s is in fact much faster than is usually offered with consumer ADSL. Netvigator, a leading Hong Kong Internet Service Provider in association with fixed operator PCCW, offers ADSL at 6 Mbit/s download/ 256 kbit/s upload for HK$ 398.00 per month for 200 hours of access time with no contract commitments.
1 US Dollar (USD) = 7.78613 Hong Kong Dollars (HKD). VAT does not apply.
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