Hong Kong operator CSL says it has completed the construction of its next-generation dual-cell (DC) HSPA+/LTE network, which it claims is the first such network of its kind. TelecomAsia reports that CSL – owned by Australia’s Telstra – said this week that the network upgrade was complete and “fully functional” and that it is now waiting for compatible devices. In collaboration with network vendor ZTE, CSL has deployed full DC-HSPA+ coverage in the 2100MHz band across the territory, and 2600MHz LTE in select heavy-traffic districts. CSL is also deploying equipment to offer LTE using 1800MHz spectrum. DC HSPA+ doubles the downlink speeds of HSPA by combining two 5-MHz carriers to create a 10-MHz channel, which can enable theoretical peak downlink speeds of 42Mb/s on its 21Mb/s HSPA+ network. The object of deploying both LTE and DC-HSPA+ at the same time, says CSL CTO Christian Daigneault, is to offer a fallback option for LTE that doesn’t result in a noticeable drop in connection quality.

According to a recent Wireless Intelligence study, CSL is on track to be the first Hong Kong operator to launch LTE. Wireless Intelligence forecasts that CSL will be Hong Kong’s largest LTE operator over the next five years, commanding a dominant LTE market share of around 40 percent by 2015. CSL first launched 21Mb/s HSPA+ in March 2009, but the new network has been built from scratch by ZTE.