Bangkok--16 Jul--Farh Agency Taxi passengers in Hong Kong have been given free trial of HSPA Broadband services from the comfort of their seats, thanks to an innovative experiential marketing program being run by mobile operator SmarTone — Vodafone. The operator has hooked up 100 local taxis to its high-speed HSPA network, with access provided to passengers through a standard USB socket. This lets customers using the 100 Vodafone—branded red taxis to plug in their laptops to enjoy free Web browsing, email access and downloads over a super-fast broadband connection that is available anywhere in Hong Kong. SmarTone - Vodafone introduced the campaign to get people to try out its HSPA Mobile Broadband service and see how ubiquitous, convenient and easy-to-use it is. All passengers have to do to get high-speed mobile broadband access is connect their laptops to the in-cab USB modem and install a SW download. “We really felt that we had to get the product into the hands of our customers by using experiential marketing, and that is where the cabs came in,” says Eric Mallia, Marketing Director at SmarTone - Vodafone. Feedback from the trial has been very positive, with reports of passengers continuing with their broadband session even when their taxi has arrived at its destination. HSPA provides ubiquitous broadband connectivity for mobile workers much more cost-effectively than proprietary mobile data solutions. “Thousands of people have downloaded the software and used the mobile broadband service, and this has translated into significant sales for our HSPA service,” adds Eric Mallia. “The trial has had a tremendous word-of-mouth and viral effect which has reflected well on our brand and cemented our place as the most innovative and service-oriented operator in this marketplace.” Full HSPA coverage across Hong Kong SmarTone — Vodafone has now extended its free Mobile Broadband Service with workstations placed in Hong Kong gymnasiums, shopping malls and a chain of juice bars. Its HSPA network now provides download speeds of 14.4 Mbps and uploads speeds of up to 2 Mbps, and is available throughout Hong Kong. About HSPA HSPA is an evolution of WCDMA that today offers peak data rates of 14.4 Mbps in the downlink and up to 2 Mbps in the uplink. Once the GSM/WCDMA 3G networks has been upgraded to HSPA — mostly through software changes — customers can get single-network high-speed broadband connections from their HSPA-equipped laptops or other devices wherever there is coverage. There is no need to negotiate deals with multiple providers over multiple networks that provide only hot-spot coverage. HSPA Evolution will increase current HSPA speeds to 42 Mbps on the downlink and 12 Mbps on the uplink within the coming years. Mobile Broadband enabled by HSPA — providing ubiquitous broadband connectivity for people For further information, please contact: Mrs. Voraparn Eua-arporn (coco), GM of Farh Agency Tel: 0 26160991-2, Fax: 0 2616 0993, MB: 08 9144 4014, 08 1376 5927l Email: [email protected], [email protected]