Nowadays, broadband services have become indispensable for our daily living including study, work, entertainment, social networking, etc. With about 84% of the households in Hong Kong having access to fibre-based networks, and over 90% of the population covered by the fifth generation ("5G") mobile networks, members of the public are able to enjoy high speed broadband services provided over fixed and/or mobile networks.

It is noted that some premises in Hong Kong, notably those of old tenement buildings, are not served with fibre-to-the-building ("FTTB") or fibre-to-the-home ("FTTH") based broadband services. As many of these premises are located in urban areas with good mobile service coverage, residents there may consider subscription to wireless home broadband services riding on mobile networks as an alternative to the traditional fixed home broadband services. Currently, mobile network operators (MNOs) offer a range of wireless home broadband service plans (including plans offering unlimited data usage), with monthly fees generally on par with those of the fixed broadband services. With the deployment of 5G technology, the transmission speed for these wireless home broadband services is comparable to that of the fixed broadband services supported by the FTTB or FTTH technology.

Consumers interested in these wireless home broadband services are advised to contact individual MNOs to seek more information and make comparison of the service plans as well as the terms and conditions of service provided by them (including the duration of contract, whether unlimited data usage is offered, and service and equipment charges). As the performance of mobile networks at different locations could be affected by a variety of technical and environmental factors, consumers are also advised to check with MNOs regarding network coverage and performance of the wireless home broadband services at the premises concerned, before choosing a service that most suits their needs.

Office of the Communications Authority
8 September 2021