iTnews

Optus to launch LTE wireless trials

By Brett Winterford on Nov 18, 2009 5:12PM
Optus to launch LTE wireless trials

Makes Telstra's bargaining position that little bit more difficult.

Optus will begin trials of long term evolution or '4G' mobile technology in the first half of next year as part of a coordinated regional test by its parent SingTel.

Australia's number two telco said the trial would take place "over a period of six to nine months" and would involve kit from Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Huawei, NEC, Nokia-Siemens Networks and ZTE.

The trial will rub salt into the wounds of Optus' major competitor Telstra, which is suffering a less than comfortable bargaining position with the Federal Government over telecommunications regulation.

Optus will be trialling the very technology the Federal Government is threatening to block Telstra from providing unless Telstra agrees to structurally separate.

The Optus trial would extend to Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore through the respective SingTel entities in those countries.

"The trials will lay the groundwork to establish a regionally compatible LTE network to facilitate growth in the mobile broadband business for the SingTel Group," the company said in a statement.

The "detailed field tests" will test both LTE base stations and core network equipment to "evaluate the features and end-to-end performance of the technology, which promises peak speeds of 340 mbps," the company said.

Similar trials have been announced by US carrier Verizon Networks, by Spanish telco Telefonica in Europe and by China Mobile, among around a dozen others.

Juniper Research expects the market for LTE services to be worth US$70 billion by the year 2014.

Australian telcos are yet to find out if LTE spectrum - which is widely expected to be deployed in the 2.5 GHz and/or 700 MHz bands, will be auctioned off by the Federal Government.

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Tags:
long term evolution lte national broadband network nbn networking optus telco/isp telstra trials wireless

Partner Content

MSI shows first laptops with Wi-Fi 6E, Nvidia RTX 30 graphics
Partner Content MSI shows first laptops with Wi-Fi 6E, Nvidia RTX 30 graphics
MSI launches innovative new laptops
Partner Content MSI launches innovative new laptops
Improving returns from SD-WAN spending
Sponsored Content Improving returns from SD-WAN spending
NCS expands into Australia in partnership with Optus Enterprise
Sponsored Content NCS expands into Australia in partnership with Optus Enterprise

Sponsored Whitepapers

The risky business of open source
The risky business of open source
Ensure your e-signatures are legally binding
Ensure your e-signatures are legally binding
Mitigating open source risk in your organisation
Mitigating open source risk in your organisation
How to choose a WAF that's right for you
How to choose a WAF that's right for you
The global telco 5G cloud gaming opportunity
The global telco 5G cloud gaming opportunity

Events

  • On-Demand Webinar: How Poly and Microsoft are Embracing Future Work Environments
  • Beat the DDoS blackmailers in 2021
By Brett Winterford
Nov 18 2009
5:12PM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • NBN Co and biggest carriers to jointly tackle telco congestion
  • Telstra, Optus, TPG and Dodo left some customers 'high and dry' in NBN migration
  • Telstra joins CSIRO lab 'that invented wi-fi' to test wireless setups in a six-bedroom home
  • TPG, Vodafone moving telephone support to remote ops
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

Telstra blasts plan to 'set aside' mobile spectrum for Optus and TPG, but not it

Telstra blasts plan to 'set aside' mobile spectrum for Optus and TPG, but not it

Accellion hack behind Reserve Bank of NZ data breach

Accellion hack behind Reserve Bank of NZ data breach

Google unravels state-of-art Android and Windows exploit chains

Google unravels state-of-art Android and Windows exploit chains

Tyro halts trading following week-long outage

Tyro halts trading following week-long outage

You must be a registered member of iTnews to post a comment.
Log In | Register
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.