Taiwan’s FarEasTone has become the first operator to launch a commercial LTE service on the APT700MHz band, which is seen as the world’s future harmonised 4G frequency.
Ericsson built the network, which offers high speeds, improved throughput and low latency.
The two companies have a longstanding relationship and announced in March that Ericsson would deploy 4G and core networks, increase FarEasTone’s 3G coverage and provide the operator with technical support.
Yvonne Li, President of FarEasTone, commented: “We are proud to roll out the first commercial LTE network in the world on the APT700 band. Through our long and successful relationship with Ericsson, we achieved another significant advancement in the telecom industry.”
Jan Signell, Head of Ericsson Region North East Asia, said it represented a “ground-breaking step” for both companies.
APT700 is the globally standardised band for LTE and is increasingly being used to launch next generation service across Asia and Latin America.
Advocates of the spectrum have said it could serve more than 2.1 billion people and can provide in-building coverage as well as reception in regional and rural areas.
Late last year, the Taiwanese government held a spectrum auction for the APT700, 900MHz and 1800MHz band. FarEasTone won licences for the APT700 and 1800MHz bands.
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