HONG KONG (AFX-ASIA) - PCCW Ltd (8.HK) said its subsidiary UK Broadband has launched a high-speed wireless Internet service, NETVIGATOR, which enables connections 10-20 times faster than standard dial-ups.

It said the initial roll-out cost for the service was 35-40 mln usd.

PCCW said six areas in the UK's Thames Valley will be the first to enjoy the service, which offers wireless broadband to private homes and commercial offices.

The six areas are Aldershot, Maidenhead, Reading, Slough, Windsor and Wokingham.

The company will roll out the service in other areas in the Thames Valley in the coming weeks, Michael Butcher, chief executive officer of UK Broadband, said during a teleconference.

He added that the soft-launch is targeted at private home subscribers, and the initial roll-out will cover some 300,000 households in the Thames Valley.

The service enables users to connect to the Internet without the need for a telephone line or cable connection.

After this launch, UK Broadband will announce its national roll-out plans for the UK and Northern Ireland, which is expected to take place in August.

UK Broadband, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PCCW, acquired 13 of 15 licenses auctioned in the UK last year for wireless broadband services. It later also acquired the remaining two licenses.

Butcher said the company will have about 30 base stations in the UK after the soft-launch, with the number increasing after the national roll-out.