Not to be left behind in the 4G race, Perth based iiNet entered the LTE race today.
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The telco is hooking up with Optus wholesale to run its 4G Long Term Evolution service off the telco’s advanced FD-LTE network, which delivers downloads of up to 1-40 megabits per second and promises to be miles faster than its predecessor, 3G.
iiNet will announce more details and availability in the coming months, once Optus has confirmed the launch date of its wholesale service in Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne and Perth, initially.
iiNet will also be releasing modems and WiFi hotspots for wireless services, which allow up to 10 devices to share the faster Internet service.
The new deal between the telcos also means iiNet subsidiaries Internode, WebNet and Netspace will deliver 4G on their respective networks.
4G is seen as the Next Big Thing, with several Android smartphones including HTC’s One XL, Titan, Velocity 4G, Samsung Galaxy S II 4G and S III (coming) as well as iPhone 5, announced last week, all 4G ready devices.
However, iiNet have not yet made clear what 4G-ready handsets it will deliver.
There are also a few tablets that are 4G ready in Australia, including Samsung’s Galaxy Tab although not the new iPad. Telstra has around 300,000 customers on its 4G network already.
Optus previously said trials of 4G service showed it was “significantly faster” than rivals and switched its service on in Melbourne for the first time today, while Telstra’s 4G network has been live for almost a year.
Vodafone said last week it would switch on its 4G network early next year.
“It makes sense for us to introduce one of the fastest wireless broadband services available and it supports our growth strategy to offer more to each of our customers,” said iiNet CEO Michael Malone.
“Choosing an iiNet 4G device operating on the Optus 4G network unleashes the desktop for people on the move, with faster mobile access to online files and services.
“It’s a substantial improvement in speeds from what is currently available on 3G,” Malone said.
