UPDATED: 4G in Australia: The state of the nation

Updated 10 May 2013: The top three Australian carriers are spending billions upgrading their networks to high-speed 4G LTE services. Customers are just starting to see the new plans and rollout is expected to intensify through the year and well into 2013.

Also see:
How fast are HSPA+ and LTE in Australia?
What is the Digital Dividend?

Telstra 4G

The No. 1 telco currently has a head start on 4G rollout, having launched LTE services in September 2011. In February, the telco reported that it has connected 1.5 million 4G devices.

The Telstra 4G network is currently available in 100 metropolitan and regional locations, including all capital CBDs. Telstra has said its network covers 40 per cent of Australia’s population. Telstra said it will cover two-thirds of the population by mid-2013 after it doubles coverage in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Telstra operates frequency-division (FD) LTE on the 1800 MHz spectrum band. Building out the 4G LTE network was a major piece of Telstra’s $3.6 billion spend in fiscal-year 2012. Over the next two years, Telstra has said it plans to invest $500 million, including on its mobile network.

Telstra spent $1.3 billion in April's Digital Dividend auction, taking most of the 700MHz and 2.5GHz spectrum available. It bought 2x20MHz of the 700MHz spectrum and 2x40MHz of the 2.5GHz. The spectrum is expected to increase the carrier's 4G coverage and capacity.

Some analysts say Telstra’s early rollout of LTE likely will keep the telco ahead of the competition. “With accelerated investment in the LTE network, we believe Telstra’s mobile rivals will find it difficult to challenge Telstra’s network superiority,” Ovum analyst David Kennedy said recently. “They will need to pursue strategies as `alternative’ providers to Telstra.”

Optus 4G

Optus has 4G coverage in Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

On 10 January, Optus said it had more than 100 4G sites live across Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

The carrier has said it will add Adelaide in the first half of 2013. It turned on the first four sites there on 20 December. Optus expects to reach Canberra in March or April next year, however the network will use TD-LTE technology, which is currently compatible with fewer 4G devices.

The Optus 4G network currently runs on FD-LTE technology and operates in the 1800MHz spectrum band. However, Optus plans to roll out a Time-Division (TD) LTE 4G network in 2013 that it says is faster with higher throughput. “We are currently undertaking trials of the [TD LTE] network in Sydney, and our current 4G network will be integrated into our TD LTE rollout from 2013,” the Optus spokesperson said.

Optus reportedly plans to spend $2 billion over two years on 4G services in an effort to take on Telstra. Optus just completed a $230 million acquisition of the Vividwireless Group from Seven Group Holdings. The deal gives Optus access to 98MHz of spectrum in the 2.3GHz band for its TD LTE network.

Optus spent $649 million at April's Digital Dividend auction, half of what Telstra paid. It took 2x10MHz of the 700MHz spectrum and 2x20MHz of the 2.5GHz spectrum.

Meanwhile, several other companies have rolled out 4G plans riding on the Optus network, including Virgin Mobile, Exetel and iiNet.

Amaysim and Boost Mobile have said 4G services are on the way, however Amaysim CEO Rolf Hansen has said he's not sure 4G is a commercial "slam dunk." It's not clear what Boost Mobile's recent move to Telstra means for its 4G plans.

Vodafone 4G

Vodafone has announced plans to launch 4G in major metropolitan areas this June.

Vodafone plans to deploy 4G in stages, adding 2000 additional mobile sites this year. At the June launch, the telco will have most of its coverage in Sydney and Perth and "some coverage" in Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Newcastle and Wollongong, according to the Vodafone blog.

With hopes to reverse a customer exodus, Vodafone is investing $1 billion over two years on network upgrades.

While relatively late to the 4G game, Vodafone will deploy LTE over its existing 1800MHz channel and potentially have higher speeds than other carriers because it has 20MHz of spectrum in that band. The telco did not participate in the Digital Dividend auction.

Follow Adam Bender on Twitter: @WatchAdam

Follow Computerworld Australia on Twitter: @ComputerworldAU, or take part in the Computerworld conversation on LinkedIn: Computerworld Australia

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