Sydney and Brisbane are among new areas now active in Vodafone’s 4G+ rollout.
The major cities are joined by major hubs Newcastle, Wollongong and the Gold Coast. The 4G+ expansion was activated in Melbourne and Adelaide over the past few months.
The 4G+ moniker attached to the upgrades by Vodafone describes how the telco is converting its 850MHz 3G network sites to 4G technology, sharing the available spectrum in this band to accommodate both 3G and 4G devices needing to connect to the network.
Moving 4G technology onto the 850MHz has several advantages for consumers. Lower frequency radio waves are capable of travelling longer distances and are better at penetrating solid objects, the walls of buildings. Vodafone also gains the ability to pair its 850MHz and 1800MHz 4G bands are deliver faster download speeds.
“We’ve tested all the major smartphones to see how they perform on our new 4G network, including the popular iPhone 5 and 6 models and Samsung GALAXY. What it means for customers is that they’ll notice the 4G or LTE symbol on their phone more often, meaning they have more reliable download speeds,” said Vodafone CTO Benoit Hanssen, in a statement.
Vodafone’s 4G+ expansion is different from Telstra’s 4GX network upgrade, which is built on newly acquired 700MHz spectrum Telstra bought after the Federal Government’s auction of the airwaves previous occupied by free-to-air TV. Optus also acquired 700MHz spectrum and is deploying an expansion of its 4G network, but is yet to release a snazzy name for it.
Joseph Hanlon
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