Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka (Hutch), a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings, has held its first 5G trial event at HUTCH One Galle Face Premier Experience Center, achieving a data transmission speed of 1.8Gbps, which it claims is the ‘fastest’ in Sri Lanka to date, while also achieving an extremely low latency rate. Hutch, which secured a licence from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) in February 2020 for 5G trials, is working with Chinese equipment manufacturer ZTE on the next generation platform. The ‘ground-breaking’ trial reportedly included ‘several demonstrations and use cases of 5G’, such as gaming, remote meeting, and high definition video playback.
Commenting on the new milestone, Hutch CEO Thirukumar Nadarasa said: ‘This is indeed a special moment for all of us at Hutch. As a company that seeks to exceed the expectations of our valued customers, the new Hutch network is 5G-ready, fostering a new era of technological transformation. At Hutch, we always believe in customer centric innovation and are proud to be at the cutting edge, demonstrating the latest and most advanced technologies to Sri Lanka.’ The official stopped short of providing a possible date for a commercial launch, however.