Optus Ramps Up 4G LTE Network
- Consumer plan comes with 4G devices
- Optus 4G network launch in Melbourne
- To offer Galaxy S III 4G in September
Optus has ramped up its installation of 4G long-term evolution (LTE) across the nation for wider network coverage in time for the opening of the service in Melbourne in September 15.
Optus has advanced in activating 600 mobile sites in Sydney and Perth that now run using LTE technology in the1800MHz spectrum band. While overall coverage remains fewer than the market leading Telstra, Optus has a stronger 4G footprint in the Sydney CBD that goes out to 10-kilometer.
In Sydney, the 4G network spans 10-kilometer of the CBD, ranging from Linfield in the north to Botany Bay in the south. The Perth 4G network coverage covers 20-kilometer from east to west of the Perth CBD, and another 15-kilometer from north to south.
The challenge for Optus is to prove that it is a strong alternative who can give consumers with a strong and cheaper consumer plans than its rival, Telstra, which currently holds the number one position in providing similar fourth-generation mobile network services.
Telstra’s coverage extends to more than 100 metropolitan and regional areas across all eight states and internal territories, including all capital CBDs. While Telstra’s 4G network only covers a 5-kilometer radius of the Sydney CBD, the company has already announced plans to extend the coverage to 15-kilometer by middle of 2013.
Telstra has also proved itself ubiquitous to consumers by giving fast mobile Internet speeds of up to 40Mbps in areas which is also faster than ADSL2 connectivity for handheld devices in similar areas across the country.
Optus is coinciding the switch on of its 4G service in Melbourne with the launch of its consumer plans with Samsung's 4G-enabled Galaxy S III smartphone on September 15.
Galaxy S III 4G will be available on a two-year lock-in period via Optus for AU$67 per month (AU$650 worth of calls and SMS and 1.5GB of data) or AU$80 per month (AU$850 worth of calls and SMS and 2GB of data).
The new smartphone from Samsung will be powered by Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and the smartphone sports a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display, a quad-core processor, an 8-megapixel camera, and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera.
Telstra, meanwhile, will also offer its 4G services with the Galaxy S III 4G by October.
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