CANBERRA FIRST WITH NEW OPTUS SUPERFAST MOBILE NETWORK

A new flavour of Optus 4G hits the nation’s capital

Canberra residents can now experience the superfast Optus 4G network with the launch of new 4G network technology and the first compatible devices in Canberra.

Canberra is the first city in Australia on Optus’ new 4G TD-LTE network, with 13 sites in the nation’s capital activated with this new 4G technology*. 4G coverage is currently available in selected parts of the city centre, with a plan to progressively expand to more than 50 sites in Canberra over the second half of this year.

“The launch of Optus 4G in Canberra today represents another important milestone in our ambitious 4G expansion program, which in the past 12 months has delivered 4G to many mainland capital cities and holiday hotspots such as the Gold Coast, Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay and Toowoomba,” said Günther Ottendorfer, Managing Director of Optus Networks.

“Customers will need compatible devices that operate on the new technology in Canberra, but these 4G Dual band devices will integrate with our existing 4G network in other cities and our 3G network nationally,” Mr Ottendorfer continued.

The first 4G Dual band compatible devices – the Optus 4G Dual band USB dongle and WiFi modem – are now available in Optus stores, online and through telesales.

To coincide with the arrival of the exciting new network and devices, Optus has released a new and exciting range of mobile broadband plans, with simpler price points, fairer options and a more flexible plan so customers don’t have to worry about large excess usage fees.

“Some of our customers have been trialling Optus 4G in Canberra in the past month, and we’ve seen the new network deliver a great 4G experience,” Mr Ottendorfer said.

“As part of Optus’ ongoing network rollout, we are aiming to expand coverage of our integrated 4G network to 70 per cent of Australia’s metro population by mid-2014. Many of our mobile sites will be upgraded to support Optus 4G Dual band compatible devices so our customers can browse, download and stream on Optus’ superfast 4G network in more places than ever before.”

Optus customers keen to get their hands on 4G Dual band devices can choose either the E3276 v2 premium USB modem or the E5776 WiFi modem, which supports up to 10 WiFi connections at once. Both devices are compatible with Optus’ entire 4G network, and backward compatible with Optus’ 3G network. Both devices are now available to customers with postpaid or prepaid services.

Data usage includes uploads and downloads, and is counted in per KB increments. For more information about all My Optus Mobile Broadband plans and devices, visit: optus.com.au/mymobilebroadband

*4G technologies: Currently, 4G networks in Australia run on FD-LTE over 1800 MHz spectrum, which uses two separate frequency channels for data traveling in each direction. TD-LTE is another type of 4G technology that uses 2300 Mhz spectrum, where the upload and download of data happens on the same frequency, but at different times – opening up the possibility to deliver even faster speeds in the future. Optus 4G in Canberra runs on TD-LTE technology. Optus 4G in Sydney, Newcastle and Hunter regions, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay and Toowoomba run on FD-LTE technology. Optus’ new 4G Dual band devices will allow customers to access and connect to both 4G technologies.

^Prepaid online recharge bonus: Purchase a recharge voucher via credit card online at optus.com.au/recharge to receive an additional 15% bonus data allowance.

Media contact
Melanie Vine / Derek Lau
Optus Corporate Affairs
(02) 8082 7850