China Mobile Ltd, the nation's largest mobile operator, plans to start commercial operations of its converged LTE FDD/TD network in Hong Kong on Dec 18, sources from telecom equipment vendors said.

The move means that China Mobile will become the first Chinese telecom carrier to offer 4G services in the country. The Hong Kong network is also Asia-Pacific's first network to combine two 4G technologies: LTE FDD and TD-LTE.

In July, China Mobile selected ZTE Corp and Sweden-based Telefon AB LM Ericsson, to build a converged LTE FDD/TD network in Hong Kong.

China Mobile launched 4G services using the LTE FDD network in April. TD-LTE technology will be added to the existing LTE FDD network to build a dual-mode network.

The Hong Kong combined 4G network is the first commercial TD-LTE network set up and operated by China Mobile, and because of that, it will play a critical role in the company's overall plan to promote TD-LTE technology both at home and abroad, analysts said.

shenjingting@chinadaily.com.cn