Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) will begin the commercial launch of its 4G mobile broadband service later this week, the company announced on Tuesday.

The Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband service will be the first available to retail customers in Singapore. It will allow users to enjoy theoretical speed of 75 megabits per second, which is over three times faster than the current 3G technology using HSPA technology, the company said.

The typical download speed will be between 3.4 megabits per second and 12 megabits per second.

Local carrier M1 announced the commercial launch of its 4G services in June but it was available to only corporate customers.

Yuen Kuan Moon, executive vice president of SingTel for digital consumer, said the launch, which is scheduled for Thursday, will " usher in a new era of mobile services."

At the initial stage, the service will provide outdoor coverage in the central financial district, the downtown areas and some of the areas that experience high data usage, like the airport and the MRT stations.

In-building coverage is available in major shopping malls. Office buildings such as Republic Plaza and Temasek Tower are also covered. It falls back to 3G services when users roam outside the LTE coverage area.

SingTel is planning to expand its network coverage to 80 percent of mobile data users by the end of 2012, and further to 95 percent by the end of 2013.