SINGAPORE: Singapore's second-largest mobile phone operator StarHub has told Bikyamasr.com that previous reports that the company would roll out a new 4G network in the city's business center was “incorrect.” The company said in an email that the new network will happen later this year. “Our 4G or LTE network will launch later this year,” the company said, without giving a specific date as to the launch. Previously, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reported that the new central 4G network would be launching this month. The new 4G network will experience faster online services in the central business district and at the Changi Airport as new 4G capable phones will also be unveiled. The cost to roll out throughout Singapore in two years will be “marginal," supporting the company's “stable" profitability, he said. StarHub, competing with Singapore Telecommunications (ST) for mobile-phone and pay-TV customers in the city-state, will also use a new fiber-optic grid to reach clients in commercial buildings in the suburbs, Montefiore said. Smartphones such as the iPhone and Samsung Electronics Co. (005930)'s Galaxy models, used to access social media and stream videos, have increased demand for capacity and prompted carriers across Asia to upgrade networks. “The rollout of 4G network will enable StarHub to cross- sell its content," said Gregory Yap, an analyst at Maybank Kim Eng Securities Pte, who rates the company a buy, also in the same report. “Mobile will continue to provide steady cash flow."
