Optus has become the first Australian mobile operator to commercially launch LTE-Advanced carrier aggregation services.
The SingTel subsidiary has upgraded its networks in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide to support LTE-A CA using 2.3-GHz spectrum.
A rollout to capital city Canberra will be complete within weeks. The network delivers theoretical peak speeds of 220Mhbps
“Optus was the first to launch TD-LTE Advanced Carrier Aggregation in the world, and we are the first to launch this capability on any Australian network,” Optus managing director Vic McClelland said.
“We are future proofing our network in response to consumers’ growing appetite for mobile streaming, browsing and downloading.”
He said the company is anticipating the launch of at least four TD-LTE CA compatible devices in the next couple of months.
Optus has set a target of covering 90% of the Australian population with 4G by April 2015.
Optus archrival Telstra is also preparing to launch LTE-A CA services, with plans to add 700-MHz spectrum to its existing LTE services at the start of next year. The network will support Cat 6 LTE-A devices with a theoretical peak speed of 300Mpbs, Telstra has said.