Optus has beaten Telstra to the punch by launching a new Huawei in Car WI Fi kit that lets passengers watch Netflix streamed over a 4G device, however it is not known how well the service performs on a trip down to the NSW snow fields.
Three months ago Telstra was looking to launch an in car wireless 4G kit manufactured by Alcatel One Touch, ChannelNews has been told by Telstra executives that the carrier has not gone with the Alcatel One Touch offering but they will launch an in-car Wi Fi kit shortly.
The Huawei E8372 is a new LTE Category 4 USB Stick, which is integrated with a Wi-Fi Hotspot capability that supports up to 10 Wi Fi users simultaneously.
According to the specs on the Optus web site the device delivers 150Mbit/s for downlink and 50Mbit/s for uplink.
On the side of Huawei E8372, there are two external antenna ports.
Optus claims that consumers who buy the new device will get 3 months of Netflix for free.
With the Optus 4G USB WI Fi Modem with Car Kit, you’ll have internet wherever you are. Designed to be used in the car, in your home, while you’re travelling or just on the move.
Optus said that their new Huawei WI Fi Modem is a perfect road trip companion, as it comes with an in-car adaptor that plugs straight into your car’s 12-volt power socket, so you’ll never run out of battery.
When plugged into a power source, it connects at once including tablets, laptop computers and mobile phones which is ideal for people who use a vehicle as an office such as on the road sales executives and trades.
For $79 a month users get:
Up to 5GB of included data with 30 days expiry for use within Australia
Includes an in-car adaptor for Wi-Fi in the car
Includes a hinged adaptor in case you need to change the angle of the modem
Connects up to 10 Wi-Fi enabled devices at the same time
Comes in a unique holder designed to fit in your car
4G ready so you can enjoy faster downloads, web browsing and streaming on our superfast 4G Plus network
Optus said that if you’re an existing customer and just upgrading your device, make sure you activate the new SIM included with your new device to be eligible for this offer
Netflix compatible device are needed for Netflix.
