Telstra to release HTC 4G handset “soon”

news The nation’s biggest telco Telstra has turned up the heat on anticipation for its first 4G handset launch, confirming this week that it will be soon releasing the first phone capable of fully utilising the speeds of its 4G network. This phone will be an HTC product.

“We’ll release the first 4G handset soon,” wrote Gerd Schenkel, executive director, Telstra Digital, in a post on the company’s support forums yesterday. “It’ll be a HTC product.” Schenkel invited Telstra customers to visit a registration page for the product to receive further information when a date is set.

On 27 September, 2011, Telstra had revealed the official switching on of its fourth generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile network across the nation, providing 4G coverage across the capital city central business districts (CBD) of Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra, and over 30 other centres in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. The telco had also planned to launch the 4G network in more than 50 additional locations by the end of 2011. Capital CBD implies 5km from the GPO in the capital cities and 3km from the town centre in regional locations.

Telstra chief executive David Thodey had stated, “We know there is a huge appetite for 4G-powered smartphones and tablets and Telstra is working with some of the world’s leading manufacturers to bring some of these devices to customers in the first half of 2012.”

At the time, Telstra had flagged the HTC Holiday as their first 4G smartphone, ‘Holiday’ being a codename for the Raider 4G selling in South Korea. A similar option is reportedly to be called the HTC Holiday and will be available for the AT&T LTE network that runs on the 700MHz spectrum in the US.

The device’s final name has not been settled by Telstra and HTC, but it will be the first LTE-capable smartphone to sell in Australia. The phone’s features are similar to those of the HTC Sensation including, a 1.2GHz Dual-Core CPU, a 4.5 inch qHD (960×540) LCD display, Android 2.3.4 w/Sense 3.0, 8MP rear-facing camera (that shoots 1080p) and a 1.3Mp front-facing camera, a 1GB RAM and 16GB of internal memory. With a new ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ (4.0) version of Android having launched, the Raider 4G is expected to feature this version of the Android platform.

A key difference in Telstra’s Next G network is that it runs on the 1800MHz spectrum band, while the 3G aspect uses the 850MHz spectrum band. Next G coverage depends on customer location, the device and the presence of an external antenna. Customers connecting to Next G will be automatically switched between the two networks which will run side by side. Customers outside the 4G areas will have their BigPond USB 4G device make an automatic switchover to Telstra’s 3G network. The 4G network will enable faster uplink and downlink speeds and faster mobile Internet speeds, reducing the strain on Telstra’s Next G network.

The changeover to 4G will double the speeds available to Telstra customers. The current 3G network that is based on the HSPA+ standard has download speeds varying between 1.1Mbps and 20Mbps, whereas the 4G band will enable speeds between 2Mbps and 40 Mbps. Upload speeds that are currently between 500kbps to 3Mbps will expand to between 1Mbps and 10Mbps.

The Telstra 4G enables a more responsive internet connection, with network latency expected to be cut in half. Real-time applications such as internet gaming, video conferencing and cloud-hosted streaming services are promised to be smoother with less buffering and fewer interruptions. Optus and Vodafone are also planning similar 4G rollouts.

Image credit: HTC

3 COMMENTS

  1. So, Qualcomm’s long-awaited new Krait architecture is on the horizon (marketed as Snapdragon S4), HD resolutions are now pretty much standard and HTC’s new “halo” device of 2012 will be launched in soon, and instead Telstra is going to launch a handset with last-year’s internals just with an added LTE radio?

    Not to mention that last year’s Qualcomm SoCs don’t “natively” support LTE and have to have an extra LTE chip added to them, significantly impacting battery usage. This year’s new Snapdragon S4 will have LTE built into the SoC, combined with a newer manufacturing process at 28nm, would yield a significant power usage advantage (not to mention the performance advantages of moving to a whole new architecture).

    If I was Telstra, I would want my first “4G” smartphone to be a real head turner not some mediocre device with unacceptable battery usage. I would wait for the new Snapdragon S4 and HTC’s new flagship device based on it, and then just order a 1800 Mhz LTE compatible version from HTC. If Telstra’s device is indeed a last-year phone with an added LTE chip, it would be a huge disappointment.

    • Telstra is going to launch a handset with last-year’s internals just with an added LTE radio

      Well yes, physically fitting a new LTE radio into a smartphone actually isn’t as easy you make it out to be. The device in question will likely have some reworked internals with some upgraded chip that take up less PCB space so that they can fit the LTE radio in the first place.

      This year’s new Snapdragon S4 will have LTE built into the SoC, combined with a newer manufacturing process at 28nm, would yield a significant power usage advantage (not to mention the performance advantages of moving to a whole new architecture).

      So you want Telstra to ignore their advantage, that being first to market? It will take at least six months for manufactures to take the new S4 when it is released and turn it into a new handset ready for mass market, by which time Optus may be ready to deploy services on their LTE 700 network.

      Besides, they have already waited to long to deploy a 4G headset as it is. In fact there are only 2 headsets I know of being manufactured now that could be used in lieu of this headset, both Samsung Galaxy S2 variants, and both exclusive to a SK carrier.

      If Telstra’s device is indeed a last-year phone with an added LTE chip, it would be a huge disappointment.

      So, don’t buy it, and wait it out. Afterall, that’s what you’re asking Telstra to do. Telstra does not exist only to serve only your interests, and a few of their customers will want the advantages LTE brings them and are willing to accept the problems that come with it being on a “last-year phone with added LTE chip.”

      If on the other hand you are saying all this because you are worried about stupid customers, don’t. If they aren’t an informed buyer, that is their problem, not yours, and most definitely not Telstra’s.

  2. It is not Telstra 4G it is Telstra FakeG created by them Ericsson retards. It uses LTE on a non standard radio frequency and requires custom made phones to work with it.

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