TIME launches HSDPA trials

Malaysia’s TIME dotCom has launched pilot High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) services in conjunction with China’s Huawei Technologies and Alcatel of France. The trials of the so-called 3.5G technology will be used to assess how the HSDPA network behaves under different patterns of demand. TIME won a 3G operating licence in March and says it plans to invest MYR800 million (USD213 million) in the launch of 3G-based broadband internet services. It does not plan to use the 3G frequency to launch cellular services and instead intends to use the concession to augment its wireline broadband internet offerings. It says it will roll out commercial wireless 3G broadband services by September 2006 and is targeting 80% coverage by 2010. It is working on a detailed 3G business plan, which it must submit to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) by early September under the terms of its concession.