SINGAPORE — StarHub customers can now enjoy souped-up mobile data speeds — more than two times quicker than current speeds — on their smartphones as the telco won the race to become the first here to roll out a “commercially-ready” 1Gbps network.

Announcing this on Friday (April 6), StarHub said that customers on its Unlimited Weekend postpaid mobile plans will be able to surf at 4G speeds of 1Gpbs, up from the current 400Mbps, when they switch to a compatible smartphone.

The 1Gbps network will be rolled out in the Central Business District, Orchard Road, and other areas across the island, including Bedok, Bishan, Clementi, and Tampines. It was first deployed in the Marina Bay area in August last year. The telco said that it will be expanding to other high-traffic areas based on information from network traffic data.

“Amid the growing appetite for mobile data, we are maximising the use of our spectrum assets for customers to enjoy enhanced network speed and service quality before 5G arrives,” said StarHub’s chief technology officer Chong Siew Loong.

In February, Singtel also announced plans to ramp up mobile speeds. It said then that handsets supporting the 1Gbps speed on the quad-band network are expected to be available from the second half of this year.

It added that existing smartphone customers will also be able to enjoy up to 20 per cent faster mobile broadband speeds on average with the new technology.

Separately, StarHub also inked an agreement with Nokia on Friday, which will see the Finnish firm deploy upgrades to StarHub’s network.

“Drawing on our end-to-end network and services expertise, we are able to implement solutions that will enable StarHub to manage the ever-growing and changing needs of people and enterprises in Singapore,” said Mr Nicholas Bouverot, Nokia’s head of Asia South Market Unit.