Optus upgrade to double 4G speeds
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Optus upgrade to double 4G speeds

Australia operator Optus has implemented a major upgrade on its mobile network, which is expected to double the download speeds of its 4G services.

The telco has launched LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation technology; designed to boost speeds by bonding multiple radio frequencies – effectively adding a lane to the network highway – and theoretically enable download speeds of up to 220Mbps.

Existing 4G speeds reach approximately 150Mbps and Optus said that in trials it had been achieving download speeds of 160Mbps.

“We are future-proofing our network,” said Vic McClelland, network chief at Optus.

Optus is now better placed to compete with operators in Australia like Telstra, which is aso experimenting with carrier aggregation, but no phone in the country’s market is yet compatible with the technology.

Optus said it has completed the upgrade ahead of the release of at least four compatible devices in the coming months.

We expect that … when our customers have the right devices, that download speeds for big files should double,” McClelland added.

The technology has been launched in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, and Canberra is due in the next few weeks.

Optus initially launched 4G services in Australia in 2012, and both Optus and Telstra were involved in 700MHz 4G trials in the country in July this year.

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