Telstra today unlocked significantly higher speeds on its Next G mobile broadband network. But consumers will have to wait a little longer to take advantage … with business and government customers first in line.
The telco has for some time been planning to switch on the higher speeds on its network, which utilise the so-called dual-channel technology available through the High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) specification its network uses.
The network upgrades — in coalition with one of Telstra’s new Ultimate wireless USB modems will facilitate theoretical network speeds of up to 42Mbps, although in real-world conditions, the telco today said customers could expect real-world typical speeds of up to 20Mbps — compared to the previous up to 8Mbps speeds.
So far, Telstra has switched on the upgraded speeds only in selected areas – capital city central business districts, airports and selected other metropolitan hubs and more than 100 regional centres. In total, Telstra Business group managing director Deena Shiff said the high-speed zones covered about 50 percent of the Australian population.
In addition, it’s only business and government customers that will be able to immediately buy one of just 2,000 Ultimate modems the company has in stock, with wider consumer availability to be unveiled later this year.
The modem can be bought outright for $299, or on a mobile broadband plan – for example, for nothing upfront on a $69 monthly plan over 24 months.
“Australians have been telling us they can’t afford to be tied to the desk all day, and these new speeds mean they can now access mobile broadband at speeds typically reserved for the office,” said Shiff.
“We are delighted to be the first in the world to offer these new blistering speeds on a national network.”
Image credit: Telstra
$299 is a great price for this sort of modem (compared to $499 for their previous fastest modem). Can’t wait for it to be sold to us plebs :)
Comments are closed.