Updates from 2019-02-24 did NOT corrected the problem.
The problem disappears when Ubuntu 16.04 is started as reboot after Kubuntu 18.04 session.
Kubuntu 18.04 operates modem properly both after cold start and reboot; Ubuntu 16.04 operates modem only after reboot from Kubuntu 18.04.
Correction to previous post:
Updates from 2019-02-24 did NOT corrected the problem.
The problem disappears when Ubuntu 16.04 is started as reboot after Kubuntu 18.04 session.
Kubuntu 18.04 operates modem properly both after cold start and reboot; Ubuntu 16.04 operates modem only after reboot from Kubuntu 18.04.