I must have slept through the Vodafone announcement that as part of their ongoing 3G upgrade, which should finish by the end of this month and brings 3G service to 94 per cent of the population, they were also boosting their 2G network. But boosting it they are!
Tipsters Brendan and Ryan both alerted me to the fact that their phones (an iPhone and a Blackberry), when roaming on Voda’s 2G network, were telling them they were on EDGE rather than GPRS speeds. When I contacted Vodafone for confirmation, they gave me this response:
“Vodafone is currently upgrading its 3G network to reach areas covering 94 per cent of the Australian population, due for completion by Monday, 31 August 2009.
Vodafone’s regional 2G network will remain active and will switch from GPRS to EDGE technology, as part of the upgrade.”
So not only do Voda customers get a free boost to a 3G network, but when they roam onto Voda’s 2G network, they’ll get EDGE data speeds? I think I’ve found my next Aussie Telco…
[Thanks Brandon and Ryan!]