OPTUS SERVES UP A SEVENTH YEAR WITH TENNIS AUSTRALIA AS OFFICIAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS PARTNER FOR THE 2011 AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Optus confirmed today that it will continue to proudly support the Australian Open in 2011 as the official Telecommunications Partner for the seventh consecutive year, enabling Tennis Australia to communicate to billions of tennis fans globally throughout the two week tournament which runs from 17 to 30 January 2011.

Leveraging The Optus Open Network, Optus will also provide its mobile customers with exclusive access to live streaming of Channel Seven’s Australian Open 2011 match coverage on their 3G mobiles for the third consecutive year.

To ensure Optus customers can share their Australian Open experience with friends and family via their mobile phones, Optus has boosted mobile network capacity in and around Melbourne Park, throughout the tournament.

Jann Kohlman, Group Manager of Optus Sponsorship and Community Programs, said “Optus and Tennis Australia make an unbeatable doubles pair and we are excited to continue our sponsorship of the Australian Open for the seventh year.

“Tennis is a perfect fit for our brand – like tennis Optus also shares a commitment to competition, teamwork and challenger spirit. Our sponsorship of tennis in Australia ranges from the grassroots through to the elite level, from metropolitan to regional Australia.

“This partnership enables tennis fans to tap into the real possibilities enabled by The Optus Open Network so Optus customers can experience the Australian Open on the move with exclusive live streaming of match coverage. In 2010, more than 58,000 Optus customers took advantage of the Australian Open mobile streaming service, totalling over 4000 hours of live tennis.”

Tennis enthusiasts won’t need to miss a thing as Optus mobile customers will have access to:

• Live streaming of Channel Seven’s match coverage free on their Optus 3G mobile;
• The opportunity to watch the live scores whilst also watching live streaming (for the first time);
• Coach Roche (video) – tennis legend Tony Roche gives his insights and demonstrates his top tennis tips;
• Alerts – keep track of the competition with tennis scores or news alerts sent to their mobile;
• Match updates – in-progress scores for all centre court matches;
• News – as it happens throughout the tournament;
• Player profiles – from the top seeds and big names of the game, get the low-down on who’s who for the Australian Open 2010;
• Results – day by day results for all the major matches;
• Interactive poll – showing results of what Optus customers think on various tennis topics.

From early January, Optus mobile customers will be able to SMS the word ‘tennis’ to 966 or visit Optus Zoo on their mobile and click on the Australian Open icon to access all the action and view live streaming of Channel Seven’s match coverage of the Australian Open 2011 on their 3G mobile.

Additionally, Optus customers will have access to exclusive presale Australian Open 2011 tickets offers via Optus ‘yes’ Tickets, see www.yestickets.com.au for further information.

The Optus Open Network supports on average 25 million calls and 26 million texts every day.

Media contact:
Optus Corporate Affairs
Tel: (02) 8082 8432