Austria's A1 offers 100 Mbps speeds in 'hybrid' fixed-mobile service

A1, the domestic telecoms unit of Telekom Austria, unveiled plans to combine fixed and mobile technology in a new "hybrid" service that allows the provision of home broadband services at speeds of up to 100 Mbps.

The operator said 'hybrid-boost technology" had enabled it to combine fixed Internet and 4G/LTE networks for the first time in Austria to create a new product. A1 added that it is investing some €500 million ($553 million) in 2016 to extend Internet coverage in urban and rural areas.

Natascha Kantauer-Gansch, A1's chief customer officer consumer, noted that the new product would help the operator to meet the rising demand for broadband on the Austrian market.

"Austrian households already often use up to six connected devices. With hybrid boost we are now for the first time offering a smart combination of fixed net Internet and 4G/LTE in a single product to meet this demand. This puts A1 in a position to supply 92 per cent of Austrians with fast, future-proof Internet," Kantauer-Gansch said.

The new A1 Hybrid Box lies at the heart of hybrid boost and combines a broadband WLAN modem and a 4G/LTE module. A1 said the box's smart technology makes it possible to combine both technologies, enabling download speeds of up to 100 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 20 Mbps and extending broadband Internet services to more households than before.

Hybrid fixed-mobile broadband services have also been advertised in other European markets including Germany. Deutsche Telekom-owned Telekom Deutschland, for example, sells MagentaZuhause Hybrid plans that also combine fixed and mobile technologies using the Speedport Hybrid router and intelligent hybrid technologies.

The German operator also promises download speeds of up to 100 Mbps with the technology, and upload speeds of up to 40 Mbps.

Vodafone Greece last year tested "fixed mobile bonding" technology that brings together its 4G and fixed networks, while Cosmote Greece -- also a Deutsche Telekom affiliate through the OTE group -- has recently launched a hybrid fixed-mobile broadband service with download speeds of up to 100 Mbps.

In January this year Swisscom announced plans to trial technology combining LTE with DSL networks using DSL+LTE bonding technology.

For more:
- see this A1 release

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