THE trials and tribulations of connectivity for many mobile phone and tablet users should soon come to an end, as both Telstra and Optus roll out the 4G network across South Gippsland.
The rollout will provide more competition and choice for 4G services along with improved connectivity and internet speeds for customers with compatible phones and tablets.
Service disruptions were experienced recently by a large number of Optus mobile phone customers as Optus carried out essential upgrading infrastructure. With the upgrade and testing now completed, Optus 4G is due to go ‘live’ at Foster North on Thursday May 28.
The 4G service to Venus Bay, Inverloch, Wonthaggi, Dalyston, Cape Patterson and Cowes is due to be made available tomorrow (May 21), and in the next couple of weeks many South Gippsland townships will follow suit, including Welshpool, Port Welshpool, Agnes, Port Franklin, Hedley and Sandy Point, as well as parts of Yanakie, Fish Creek, Toora, Meeniyan, Buffalo and Dumbalk.
Telstra mobile customers will be pleased to know that infrastructure upgrades are currently in progress in several areas of Gippsland which will lead to the launch and expansion of 4G and 4GX mobile data services in the area, providing increased capacity for the local mobile data network to those Telstra customers with compatible devices. However some local communities may have some disruption to mobile services as the work is completed.
“As this upgrade work needs to be carried out during daylight hours for health and safety reasons, our technicians will need to switch off some sectors which support mobile services in some areas,” said Telstra Gippsland Area General Manager Loretta Willaton.
“This will result in a slight disruption to mobile services in those areas. Of course, we are working hard to make every effort to reduce the impact to our customers and we apologise in advance for any inconvenience,” Ms Willaton said.
Coinciding with works currently underway in East Gippsland, upgrades are now taking place at Woodside and Mount Hoddle. Testing will be completed following the infrastructure upgrade and Telstra anticipates launching the improved data services as soon as possible.
Ms Willaton said the disruption to mobile services in some areas will be negligible, while others may notice potential difficulties in making and receiving mobile calls or accessing the internet via their mobile phone.
“This is a significant investment we are making in Gippsland and, although it may cause some short term inconvenience to some, it will significantly improve the overall Telstra mobile experience for all Telstra 4G and 4GX customers in this area,” she said.
4GX is based on Telstra’s new 700MHz spectrum and delivers higher typical mobile data download speeds on compatible devices, allowing ultra-fast mobile internet. It also uses sophisticated LTE Advanced technology to bring together Telstra’s 1800MHz and 700MHz 4G spectrum bands, where both are available, to supercharge mobile web speeds even further on compatible devices.
Customers with 4GX ‘Category 6’ devices can enjoy typical download speeds of between 2Mbps and 100Mbps. Customers with 4GX ‘Category 4’ devices can enjoy typical download speeds of between 2Mbps and 75Mbps.
In regional areas, 4GX can go further than Telstra’s existing 4G frequencies creating better 4G coverage. 4GX will double Telstra’s 4G bandwidth, meaning there is more to go around – overcoming problems where the service slows down in peak hours or in crowded places.
Telstra customers can find more about 4GX by heading to Telstra.com/4GX. Optus customers can check on the current and future status of the network rollout by visiting www. optus.com.au/shop/mobile/network/coverage
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