Singapore operator M1 has switched on commercial LTE services today, claiming to be the first operator in Southeast Asia to go live with the next-generation mobile technology. The third-largest operator in the city state has deployed LTE at both 1.8GHz and 2.6GHz, offering theoretical peak speeds of 75Mb/s in the downlink and 37.5Mb/s in the uplink. M1 says these speeds will be upgraded to 150Mb/s and 75Mb/s, respectively, by the end of next year.

The initial launch will cover Singapore’s financial district (including Marina Bay, Suntec, Shenton Way), while nationwide coverage is expected in the first quarter of 2012. The operator will initially market LTE services to its enterprise customer base. These customers will be able to access the new network via USB modems on existing mobile broadband plans costing SGD59.40 (US$48) per month. An expanded range of LTE devices, including tablets and smartphones, is expected to be available later this year.

“With M1’s LTE network, our customers will now be the first to experience ultra-high speed mobile services and applications,” said CEO Karen Kooi (pictured) in a statement. M1’s launch means it has beaten its two larger mobile rivals – SingTel and StarHub – in the race to be the first to launch LTE in Singapore. Both rivals are reported to be planning to launch commercial LTE services later this year. According to Wireless Intelligence data, M1 had 1.9 million connections at the end of Q1, behind SingTel (3.3 million) and StarHub (2.1 million).