Optus and Vodafone have signed an agreement to share more of their 3G and 4G infrastructure, allowing them to expand coverage more quickly and for Vodafone customers in regional areas to eventually roam onto Optus’ network where Vodafone coverage is weaker or non-existent. What will that mean for customers of both networks? Will it threaten performance and reception? What happens if you access those networks via another provider? We’ve got all the answers.
As we’ve been anticipating all week, Optus has officially launched its 4G network with a customer trial commencing in the Newcastle and Hunter Valley areas. But don’t start queuing at your local Optus store or asking us what it costs: the trial is amongst a group of invited participants and no-one participating is being charged to use the service.
We noted earlier this week that Optus will be switching on its first 4G LTE services in Newcastle and surrounding areas this week. So it’s hard to see Telstra announcing that it will enhancing 4G services in the same region as anything other than an attempt to maintain its 4G first mover advantage.
Telstra has made good on its promise to add a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot to its range of devices that use its LTE 4G network. Business customers can buy the device from today, while general consumers can purchase it from March 27.
Optus has concluded a trial of 700MHz 4G services in Bendigo, claiming speeds of up to 70Mbps and transmission distances of 13 kilometres. That’s good news in the long term, particularly for rural areas, but it won’t make any difference right now.
You’ve been able to buy the Telstra 4G mobile broadband dongle on contract since last September. Now it’s also available as a prepaid device for $129 (which includes 3GB of data). Telstra is also rolling out its first 4G tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.94G: Alex over at Giz has full details of that one. [Telstra]
Subject to ACCC approval, Optus is going to lay down a hefty chunk of change for Vividwireless. What does that do to Australia’s 4G landscape? Updated: Now with Optus’ clarifications on its announced 4G plans, including what the future holds for 700Mhz LTE.
Optus is buying out mobile broadband provider Vividwireless, a move it says will enable it to build a “faster 4G network”. Based on my own experience of Vividwireless’ sub-optimal service, I suspect its money may have been better spent elsewhere.
Telstra acquired another 338,000 contract mobile phone customers and 9.8 million prepaid mobile users in the last six months, along with 436,000 mobile broadband customers. It now has 6.4 million contract mobile customers, 3.3 million prepaid customers and 2.7 million mobile broadband users. That’s good news for Telstra shareholders, but it underlines a dilemma for consumers and the company: if Telstra doesn’t constantly keep installing new network equipment, speeds for everyone are going to keep getting slower over time.
We’ve dived into the issue of what constitutes a 4G signal quite often here at Lifehacker. Over at Gizmodo, Alex has a great detailed piece on why correctly labelling 4G services correctly matters. Well worth a read. [Gizmodo]
