Vodafone Australia has today switched on its 1800-MHz LTE network, becoming the last of Australia's mobile network operators to do so.
Vodafone has launched 4G services in areas of Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Newcastle and Wollongong.
Service is initially being offered to existing postpaid customers on suitable plans, but Vodafone will start signing up new users from next month. The company aims to triple its LTE coverage by the end of the year.
The company claims that its contiguous 2x20 MHz of spectrum allows it to offer faster speeds than the LTE networks offered by rivals Telstra and Optus.
But its spectrum holdings may pose difficulties in the future. Last month, Australia conducted an A$2 billion ($1.89 billion) auction of digital dividend spectrum in the 700-MHz and 2.5-MHz bands.
Notably absent from the process was Vodafone, which had applied to participate but withdrew before bidding commenced. Analysts believe the decision to rely on its 1800-MHz holdings for 4G could pose traffic management issues in the long-term.
Vodafone's speed advantage could also be short-lived, with incumbent Telstra planning to start rolling out LTE-Advanced this year.
Optus last month launched trial TD-LTE services in Canberra to complement its existing FDD LTE network.