Optus launched its first consumer 4G services at its flagship Sydney store on George Street. The telco also introduced the 4G Galaxy S III smartphone in partnership with Samsung.
The Sydney crowds at Optus' 4G network unveiling were pretty thick. Many were trying to catch a glimpse of the mysterious 'Fast Four' celebrity guests.
To mark the occasion, Optus invited the "world's fastest" rapper, reader, phone texter, and speaker to the event. (Usain Bolt was busy, presumably.)
Ricky Brown, one of the world's fastest rappers, takes on Sean Shannon, the world’s fastest speaker. Brown can rap 724 syllables in 51.27 seconds while Shannon can orate 10.9 words per second.
Melissa Thompson, the world’s fastest texter on a smartphone, shows off her finger skills. Thompson can text 160 characters in just 25.94 seconds.
Optus is offering the Samsung Galaxy S III 4G smartphone on its new consumer 4G plans. David Epstein, Optus' vice president of corporate and regulatory affairs claimed it was the "strongest 4G smartphone out there on the market today".
Samsung Galaxy S III back view. The model on the showroom floor had a prominent LTE symbol on the back, but an Optus spokesperson said this wouldn't be present on the finished version.
The 4G network was up and running in the Optus store, albeit at two bars.
Like the regular Galaxy S III, the Galaxy S III 4G boasts a 4.8in HD Super AMOLED display and a quad core processor.
Other product highlights include Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), a choice between 16GB and 32GB of storage, a MicroSD card slot, Full HD video recording and an 8-megapixel AF camera.
As expected, Optus is making a big 4G marketing push in its stores. The Optus 4G consumer network is available now in Sydney, Perth and Newcastle, with Melbourne set to follow on September 15.
Optus launched its first consumer 4G services at its flagship Sydney store on George Street. The telco also introduced the 4G Galaxy S III smartphone in partnership with Samsung.