China Mobile Brings Dual-Mode 4G to Hong Kong Tomorrow

Hong Kong’s 4G landscape will get a bit more inclusive tomorrow with the roll-out of China Mobile’s (NYSE:CHL; HKG:0941) dual-mode 4G network. It adds support for the TD-LTE version of mobile data alongside the FDD LTE that the world’s biggest carrier launched in Hong Kong in April of this year.

This support for both 4G modes by China Mobile will be particularly useful for global business travelers. It’s apt that this is happening – claimed to be the first such dual, high-speed mobile network in Asia – in Hong Kong, which is a regional business hub. It’ll allow people with TD-LTE-equipped 4G phones, or those on dual-mode smartphones, to use China Mobile’s 4G network when in Hong Kong.

But it should be noted that the telco’s rollout is not complete in Hong Kong, and quite a few areas – such as the Tseung Kwan O and Kwun Tong subway lines – won’t be fully online until mid-2013. The company has 4G plans starting at HK$188 (US$24.50) per month for a mere 500MB of data, up to HK$398 ($51.30) for an unlimited-but-sorta-limited package.

China Mobile’s new dual 4G, which it calls “a seamless converged FDD LTE and TD-LTE network,” has been put in place in conjunction with telecoms giants Ericsson and ZTE (HKG:0763; SHE:000063) – that was announced back in July of this year. Other major carriers are prepping such a 4G expansion in the region, with Korea’s SK Telecom and Japan’s Softbank thought to be implementing this as well.

Looking to the future, this added support for TD-LTE will be crucial to Hong Kong once mainland China sees a national rollout of 4G (which will be the TD-LTE band). But that’s some time away. Though there are some major, city-wide 4G trials going on in mainland China, authorities in Beijing are keen to establish 3G more fully first. At present, about 200 million Chinese phone owners are on 3G, but that’s not a great ratio of its billion-plus total phone subscribers.

[Sources: Netease Tech (article in Chinese), and China Mobile HK]