Optus expands regional 4G reach

Optus today adds 40 new regional centres to its 4G footprint, with new 700MHz and 2600MHz sites switched on across the country.

NSW mid-north coast is one of the big winners in this phase of the Optus network rollout, with Macksville, Nambucca Heads, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie and Urunga all listed as new 4G zones.

Orange, Goulburn and Wagga Wagga are among the new sites south of Sydney.

Albury and Wodonga on the NSW-Victoria border are both listed, along with Bendigo and Ballarat.

Much further north, Cairns and Rockhampton are among nine new 4G areas in Queensland, while Ceduna and Port Augusta in South Australia now also enjoy the fast network speed.

Optus, like Telstra, have been granted early access to newly acquired 700MHz spectrum, purchased after the government’s analog TV shutdown. With greater reach, the 700MHz band will be essential to the roll-out of 4G services across regional Australia.

Officially, the 700Mz spectrum will be available for deployment in January 2015, but regulatory body ACMA has given the go ahead for the telcos to begin commercialisation of the spectrum.

This announcement comes just days after Vodafone announced it has switched on 4G+ services in Melbourne.

Joseph Hanlon

Editorial Director | X | LinkedIn

Joe Hanlon has been immersed in mobile phones, plans and the internet for over a decade, having written for publications like CNET, Techradar, Gizmodo and Lifehacker. He steers the editorial ship and makes sure that we are always serving up the most useful guides and recommendations. If you ever bump into Joe on the street, don't be afraid to ask for a phone recommendation. It's embarrassing how much he enjoys talking about this stuff. He also loves listening to podcasts, so feel free to email Joe with recommendations.

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