Vodafone will launch its national 4G network in June, and promises a mobile broadband megaboost for business travellers with speeds greater than those of Telstra and Optus.
The ‘staged roll-out’ will kick off with Sydney and then extend to Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Wollongong, Newcastle and the Gold Coast, although Vodafone has yet to get specific with dates.
Also on the TBA list is pricing for the new service, although Vodafone CEO Bill Morrow warned that we won’t see the rock-bottom rates one usually associate with the number three carrier. “The right value doesn’t always mean the cheapest”, Morrow warned.
As to how fast the shiny new network will be, Morrow said that Vodafone’s claim to a fat 20MHz slice of 4G spectrum will allow it to eclipse both Telstra and Optus, where download speeds of 20-30Mbps (complemented by half that much for uploads) are commonplace.
Of course, there are plenty of cautions and caveats against that claim.
“At least for a period of time, we will have the fastest 4G network in Australia,'” Morrow observed, apparently making allowances for congestion as more and more users move from 3G to 4G.
Vodafone also admits that this will “potentially be Australia’s fastest 4G network” with “speeds capable of exceeding what’s already on offer to Australian mobile consumers” (we’ve added the italics for emphasis).
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David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Malaysia Airlines - Enrich
11 Oct 2012
Total posts 19
I would prefer if they can provide a more reliable service. As a long time Vodafone customer I can't even have a phone conversation without it getting cut off every 15 minutes and I live on Sydney CBD fringe!
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 780
Who still uses Vodafone?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 Apr 2013
Total posts 2
What kind of "promise" is this? Vodafail can't even gurantee a have decent 3G network....
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Nov 2011
Total posts 121
Its an upgrade so that your phone call or internet session can be dropped faster...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
11 Jan 2012
Total posts 3
I'm going to be honest about my experience with Vodafone. It's actually been quite good. While they were quite bad around my areas (NE NSW and SE QLD) in 2011, from about the middle of last year they have improved so much that I'm starting to recommend them to friends and family. In my home town Telstra is quite congested, I'm actually getting speeds that are faster and more consistent on Vodafone. In other areas, Vodafone has performed slightly below Telstra but that fits spot on with their price. So as long as Vodafone isn't congested in your area, I say grab an 850 MHz device and give them a try.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
12 Jan 2013
Total posts 55
Vodafail - Pyrmont office - NO reception and North shore minimal coverage - FAIL !
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