Hong Kong Remains On Fast Track For 5G, Says Govt

Officials have beaten back criticism that Hong Kong is slow off the block to prepare for 5G, saying mobile operators in the city could have the capability to launch the high speed network by next April.

But they admit whether the public will have access to the new network depends on several factors.

Markets around the world are getting ready for 5G mobile services, which officials say could be 20 times quicker than existing 4G networks.

The Communications Authority said it plans to assign high frequency bands 26 GHz and 28 GHz to operators in April next year, and more than 10 operators have indicated they want to use them.

It would make Hong Kong one of the first places in the world to launch 5G – if the operators have all their systems ready.

But the authority's deputy director-general, Chaucer Leung, admitted that when the public will actually get full access depends on factors like the operators' infrastructure, and the availability of mobile devices that support the network.

But Leung rejected criticism that Hong Kong will lag behind other places, such as the UK, that have already auctioned off the related network bands.

He said it will still take other places a couple of years to make 5G available to the public as the authorities, like their Hong Kong counterparts, have to relocate existing users of the bands.