Vodafone Australia has launched its LTE network in earnest, opening subscriptions up to new customers.
The operator soft-launched the 1,800-MHz LTE network for existing subscribers just under a month ago.
The network currently covers areas of Australia's largest cities Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, as well as the regional centers of Wollongong, Gold Coast and Newcastle.
Vodafone Australia has set a target of tripling the number of LTE network sites it operates by the end of the year.
Chief network officer Benoit Hanssen asserted that the company is able to provide LTE speeds exceeding those of larger rivals Telstra and Optus due to its 20MHz wide-band spectrum holdings.
“Our current advantage is our spectrum. Put simply, the wider the radio channel, the fatter the pipe, which translates into faster data speeds for customers. Vodafone is currently the only carrier that has this spectrum band in all five major mainland state capital cities.”
But any speed advantage is likely to be temporary. Telstra has revealed plans to start rolling out LTE-Advanced this year.