Optus expands Queensland 4G

SingTel company Optus has revealed that it has expanded its 4G long-term evolution (LTE) network in Queensland faster than expected.

Optus first launched 4G services in Brisbane and Surfers Paradise in October last year. The company's managing director of networks Guenther Ottendorfer posted on the Optus blog yesterday that an expansion out to 100 sites has been completed ahead of schedule.

"It's very exciting to now be able to offer wider coverage across Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and our team is working hard to deliver even more sites in the coming months, so you can enjoy the benefits of Optus 4G in more places," he said.

When Optus launched 4G in Brisbane, it took Telstra to task for advertisements that at the time stated that Telstra's network was the only 4G network in the city. Telstra quickly moved to pull down the ads once Optus commenced legal action.

Optus has 4G in Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth, and Adelaide, while Telstra's 4G network covers over 40 percent of the Australian population.

Optus is planning to launch a TD-LTE network in Canberra by April.

Telstra has close to 1 million 4G services active, while Optus has not yet disclosed the number of 4G customers that it has.

Vodafone has said that it will launch its own 4G network in select metropolitan locations starting this year.