You can get 4G services direct from Optus or Telstra, but what if you’d prefer another provider? Right now, Optus-owned Virgin Mobile is the only company reselling Optus’ services, but that will change soon. iiNet has signed a wholesale agreement to offer 4G services to its customers.
The detail on iiNet’s plans is fairly scant: the announcement release notes that the service will be released “in the coming months”, once Optus officially opens up the LTE network to mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). However, there is one intriguing detail:
iiNet will launch its 4G wireless broadband services to customers with a choice of iiNet-branded devices, including a 4G wireless USB modem and a mobile WiFi hotspot which allows as many as 10 devices to share the 4G service.
Telstra and Optus’ current 4G hotspots have a five-device limit; whether iiNet will charge more remains to be seen. We’ll be watching this one with interest. (Don’t hold your breath waiting for Telstra to offer its 4G network through other providers; the company’s stated approach is to keep 4G as a Telstra-only option for now.)
The obvious restriction with iiNet? Its mobile services are only offered to existing iiNet customers.
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