The telcos tested VoLTE roaming between Japan to Hong Kong
Mobile operator 3 Hong Kong has completed a bilateral international voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) roaming trial with Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo.
The trial involved S8 Home Routed (S8HR) architecture, which is an LTE data roaming-based technology that can be deployed without IMS interaction between parties. Once the service is commercially available, 3 Hong Kong and NTT DoCoMo will be able to offer quality VoLTE roaming in Hong Kong and Japan.
3 Hong Kong is the mobile communications division of Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings (HTHKH).
“VoLTE roaming is an advanced technology that has been warmly welcomed by the telecoms industry. Customers can expect a crystal-clear HD calling experience while overseas, thereby reinforcing 3 Hong Kong’s leadership position in the local market,” Hutchinson Telecommunications Hong Kong’s COO Jennifer Tan said.
3 Hong Kong, NTT DoCoMo and other partners will continue working to take the VoLTE roaming experience to other geographies.
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3 Hong Kong offers mobile services through spectrum in the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2.1 GHz, 2.3 GHz and 2.6 GHz bands. The telco has already carried out FDD and TDD LTE-A network trials that achieved download speeds up to 1 Gbps. The telco initially launched commercial 4G LTE services in 2012.
Warid Telecom launches LTE in eight new cities
In other APAC news, Pakistani mobile operator Warid Telecom announced the deployment of its 4G LTE service in eight new cities.
Warid’s 4G offering is now available in Kamoki, Muridke, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Okara/Okara Cantt, Gwadar, Turbat, and Kasur. With these new cities, the company’s LTE service is commercially available in 30 cities across the country.
Warid had initially launched the LTE service in December 2014, through spectrum in the 1800 MHz band. Warid Telecom is fully owned by the Abu Dhabi Group.
Rival operator Zong Pakistan also offers 4G LTE services in the country. According to the telco’s site, the LTE service is currently available in 46 cities. Zong’s LTE service was launched in September 2014. Zong is fully owned by China Mobile.