Hong Kong Broadband Network, which operates the world’s largest Metro Ethernet network, announced plans to offer symmetric 100Mbps and 1,000Mbps (1Gbps) residential broadband services.
- The BB100 Symmetrical 100Mbps Service is priced at HK$268/month (US$35/month) and will provide unlimited 100Mbps local (upstream/downstream) and 20 Mbps international access. The company will also offer will an unlimited option with 100 Mbps local and international access for HK$1,980/month (US$254/month).
- A BB1000 symmetric 1,000 Mbps (1Gbps) service is slated for introduction in Q2 2005. The customer interface will be Category 5e copper.
”HKBN’s BB1000 service will effectively be the Autobahn of Broadband access — on our BB1000 Internet freeway, the only limitation will be the processing speed of the consumers’ equipment. BB100 and BB1000 services showcase the inherent bandwidth and cost advantages of HKBN’s next-generation network over legacy platforms,” said Ricky Wong, HKBN’s chairman.
Hong Kong Broadband Network is a wholly owned subsidiary of City Telecom. http://www.ctinets.com/
- Hong Kong Broadband Network is using a Cisco Optical Core network as the foundation for new digital pay-TV service. The deployment includes the Cisco ONS 15454 SONET/SDH Multiservice Provisioning Platform (MSPP); Cisco Catalyst 6500, Catalyst 4500, Catalyst 3350, and Catalyst 2950 series switches; and Cisco 2600XM Series routers. Cisco’s ONS 15454 MSPP enables the carrier to converge its legacy voice and data services and its new pay-TV service into a single platform, and at the same time offer Layer 2 and 3 IP services using Resilient Packet Ring (RPR)-ready ML Series line cards. The network enables HKBN to deliver up to 200 digital pay-TV channels via MPEG-2 at 4.5 Mbps to 10 Mbps with DVD visual quality. Its service also features interactive pay-TV elements and enables PC or TV connection with the aid of a set-top box.
- Hong Kong Broadband Network also using Cisco’s Catalyst switches for Metro Ethernet connections to buildings. The network passes 1.6 million homes, representing 75% of Hong Kong’s residences.
- As of August 2004, City Telecom was reporting an aggregate Triple Play customer base of 465,000.