CTM to update home broadband Internet services

Local telecom operator CTM says it’s aiming to make high-speed fiber optic Internet services accessible to every home in Macau this year. Moreover, it plans to double the number of Wi-Fi hotpots to 1,000 by year-end, with some to be installed in public buses.
The company elevated its fastest fiber broadband speed from 250Mpbs to 1Gbps yesterday with the launch of two new bandwidth services, making “downloading an HD movie within a minute” a reality for Macau’s Internet users.
The company’s vice president of Commercial, Ms Ebel Cham, told media that there are currently 37,000 homes using the fiber broadband service, which accounted for 27 percent of the entire user base (157,000 homes) in the city.
“We are confident that we can achieve 100 percent ‘fiber-to-the-home’ penetration within this year,” she stated, adding that the company will gradually upgrade general broadband users’ options to the new fiber service without raising tariffs.
“We’ll start with the customers now using bandwidth services at a download speed of 15Mbps by offering them free upgrade to a 50Mbps fiber plan, then expand the upgrading plan to the rest – 7Mbps, 4Mbps, etc. gradually,” she explained.
In addition, the executive introduced that the operator intends to double the size of its Wi-Fi hotspots over the city from 500 to 1,000 within the year, and to extend hotspot coverage to public buses that are operated by Transmac along with the launching of new 4G services.
In celebration of the city’s 20th anniversary of Internet services, the operator also announced the launch of a “Fiber Broadband for Students” charitable program, offering a total of 200 students recommended by welfare organizations basic home fiber service for a period of two years.
“Through this program, we hope to equip the students with information technology in order to enhance their learning efficiency, ultimately fostering the development of digital campus and IT education,” stated CTM’s director of Corporate Communications, Ms Eliza Chan.
CTM has been the city’s sole service supplier of broadband Internet access. The download speeds of its general home broadband services currently range from 1.5Mbps to 15Mbps, whereas its fiber service pushes up the speeds to a minimum 50Mbps.
“Internet access technology in Macau has evolved from the earliest dial-up introduced in 1995 to fiber broadband nowadays, with download speed jetted up from 14.4Kbps to 1Gbps,” said Ms Cham.
“CTM will continue to introduce various leading network technology, bring fiber to all residents of Macau, ultimately achieving the early realization of a digital Macau,” she added. BY