April 21, 2005 Hong Kong -- Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN) has announced the official launch of its "bb1000" service, which provides symmetric, 1-Gbit/sec FTTH connectivity. According to the carrier, Hong Kong ranks among the world's first markets where one third of total homes (approximately 800,000 out of 2.2 million) receive Internet access service over fiber.

The carrier says its FTTH service, employing metro Ethernet technology, offers up to 166 times faster downstream, and 1,950 times faster upstream, Internet access speeds than bandwidth provided by Hong Kong's largest ADSL deployments. The carrier's symmetric FTTH service includes premium (1000 Mbit/sec), mass market (100 Mbit/sec), and entry point (10 Mbit/sec) offerings.

In support of the launch, the carrier's branding campaign will feature Liu Xiang, China's first male Olympic track and field gold medalist.