Ericsson enables Taiwan's FarEasTone to launch LTE on APT700 band

Taiwan's FarEasTone Telecommunications (FET) has become the first mobile operator in the world to launch a commercial LTE service on the APT700 band, based on technologies provided by global telecom equipment provider Ericsson.

FarEasTone customers now benefit from an LTE mobile broadband service featuring a combination of high speed, improved throughput and low latency, all of which combine to provide an enhanced user experience.

APT700 band is a globally standardized band for LTE which is gaining momentum across Asia and Latin America and has the potential to serve over 2.1 billion people. It has the ability to provide excellent in-building coverage as well as delivering wide area coverage in regional and rural areas, providing operators with increased capacity and performance, and users with a superior experience.

The cooperation is the latest from a long-standing relationship between Ericsson and FarEasTone, who announced a deal in March that will see Ericsson deploy 4G radio and core networks, expand 3G coverage and provide technical support services for FarEasTone.

Yvonne Li, President of FarEasTone, says: "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, says: "This is a ground-breaking step both for Ericsson and for FarEasTone in Taiwan, and by deploying the APT700 LTE network, FarEasTone's subscribers can benefit from a fast, enhanced service."

In October 2013 the Taiwanese government completed its LTE spectrum auction and six licenses were awarded on three frequencies: APT700, 900, and 1800 MHz. FET was awarded licenses on the APT700 and 1800 MHz frequencies.