Three of the four operators in Hong Kong introduced 5G services yesterday (1 April), with HKT, 3 Hong Kong and China Mobile Hong Kong all seeking to claim the title of being first, but offering few details on base station density or population coverage.

While market leader HKT detailed plans for its launch a fortnight ago, the other operators apparently decided to crash its party on the day the regulator released 3.5GHz spectrum.

Along with SmarTone, the operators acquired 200MHz of 3.5GHz spectrum for HKD1 billion ($129 million) in mid-October 2019.

In a statement, China Mobile Hong Kong said 5G coverage reaches 90 per cent of the main business and shopping districts on Hong Kong Island, along with parts of Kowloon. HKT previously said coverage will initially reach 11 of the territory’s 18 districts.

HKT’s SIM-only plans under its CSL brand range from HKD198 for 8GB of data a month to HKD698 for 300GB, but it is promoting a one-month free trial for new and upgrading customers.

China Mobile Hong Kong’s standard plans run from HKD298 for 100GB to HKD498 for 300GB, while SIM-only plans from 3 Hong Kong start at HKD388 for 100GB.

HKT and 3 Hong Kong offer Samsung S20 series and Huawei Mate XS 5G smartphones, while China Mobile Hong Kong’s line-up only includes compatible devices from Samsung.

Not to miss out, fourth-ranked SmarTone, which is yet to disclose a next-generation launch date, yesterday announced it signed a deal to use Hong Kong Broadband Network’s all-fibre backhaul to connect 5G base stations.