Vodafone 4G Coming In 2013, 3G+ Coming In September, Network Upgrades Almost Finished


Good news for long suffering Vodafone Australia customers, with the telco today announcing that you’ll be able to get access to its 4G network from next year, adding that its DC-HSPA+ service (aka 3G+) will be online nationwide in the coming months.

Vodafone will deploy its 4G network to customers in “selected areas” from 2013 according to an announcement today. Firm dates aren’t yet available, simply because the telco is still negotiating over contracts.

Meanwhile, the network upgrades promised to angry customers baying for blood and better service over a year ago are now almost finished, with Vodafone announcing that work has been completed in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.

Vodafone seems to have left the busiest places until last on its roll-out schedule, with Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne scheduled for “later this year”. We’re trying to get more out of Vodafone than that.

So one year and $1 billion later, Vodafone is now in a position to again crow about its revamped 850Mhz network and sizzle the things it has coming for its customers in the near future.

These new bits of shiny include access to Vodafone’s DC-HSDPA+-enabled infrastructure, weirdly dubbed “3G+”. Available from September, 3G+ will allow access to fast data speeds (expected to be up to 42Mbps) that other carriers will have had for two years by the time of its launch.

Never mind that, though. At least it’s here now. The only device you’d notice it on right now is the new iPad, anyway. You know, the device Apple recently copped a fine for over the whole 4G-malarkey. Calling it 3G+-compatible isn’t going to confuse things at all.

It’s interesting, though, that Vodafone have finished network upgrades in the western states of Australia. Are there any Vodafone customers left that can tell us if the service has improved? If so, by how much? Is it enough to keep you hanging on?

Image: Jon Oakley


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