M1 readies for LTE launch in city-state

Singaporean mobile operator and broadband provider M1 is claiming a first for the country, with the announcement that it will launch Long Term Evolution (LTE) services commercially this week. The operator will initially target large enterprise customers in the city-state’s financial district including Marina Bay, Suntec and Shenton Way, with full national coverage by 1Q12. M1’s dual-band mobile network will operate in the 1800MHz and 2600MHz bands offering maximum theoretical transmission speeds of 75Mbps/37.5Mbps (download/upload), rising to 150Mbps/75Mbps by the end of 2012. Customers wishing to sign up to the service will be able to access the LTE network using USB modems via their existing mobile broadband plans for SGD59.4 (USD47.9) per month. More LTE devices will be added throughout the course of the year.