3 Hong Kong announced it conducted 5G outdoor trials in both the 3.5GHz and 28GHz spectrum bands, to better understand the transmission characteristics of the frequencies and prepare for a launch once the spectrum is released.

The operator, the third largest in Hong Kong by subscribers, received a temporary permit from the Communications Authority in June to run trials in the 3.5GHz band. The company said it set up a trial cell site in Causeway Bay district based on massive MIMO technology using 100MHz of 3.5GHz spectrum, achieving downlink rates of more than 2Gb/s.

Using 400MHz of spectrum in the 28GHz band, it also reached a peak downlink speed of 3.2Gb/s in an outdoor test: it was granted a temporary permit to conduct indoor and outdoor 5G trials in the 26GHz and 28GHz bands in May.

It didn’t name its network equipment supplier.

In a statement, 3 explained 5G technology requires different spectrum bands to complement one another since mmWave spectrum (such as the 28GHz band) delivers high-speed service, but its high-frequency nature restricts coverage to a limited area. Greater coverage is achievable when the 28GHz band is complemented by the 3.5GHz band.

Kenny Koo, CEO of 3’s parent Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong, said: “We welcome the government’s decision to allow various of its premises to accommodate 5G base stations, and we hope the application and approval processes can be simplified and accelerated to help Hong Kong’s 5G development.”