Vodafone continues to expand 4G footprint
Greater Sydney the latest area to benefit from L850 re-farm
Vodafone today announced it has completed the re-farming of an additional 5MHz band of its 850MHz spectrum between Nelson Bay, Kiama and the eastern edge of the Blue Mountains. The upgrade will offer extra 4G capacity and an improved mobile experience.
Low-band spectrum, such as L850, provides high quality indoor mobile coverage as the lower frequency signal penetrates buildings more effectively than higher frequency signals. This complements the 4G coverage of Vodafone’s 1800MHz spectrum. Capable devices will now aggregate the 850MHz and 1800 MHz band for an optimal mobile experience on the Vodafone network.
Vodafone has upgraded over 1000 sites as part of its network enhancement program, which will allow more Greater Sydney mobile traffic than ever before to run on the telco’s 4G network.
Vodafone Chief Technology Officer, Benoit Hanssen, said the upgrade would offer several benefits.
“This activity will ensure a faster, more stable and stronger network experience for our customers in and around Sydney”, said Mr Hanssen.
“Most of our customers in the Greater Sydney area are already using L850 compatible devices so they will be able to take advantage of this upgrade in speeds straight away without having to take any action.”
Mr Hanssen also said the upgrade was part of the company’s commitment to continually deliver a best in class network experience to as many customers as possible.
“Since 2012 we have invested billions of dollars in our network to offer customers a quality experience, and this is yet another enhancement.”
Vodafone has over 2.9 million 4G capable devices operating on its network and continues to see increases in mobile phone usage all over Australia.
“We’ve seen mobile data consumption increase by over 70% in the last 12 months and we expect to see that trend continue as more customers gain access to 4G speeds,” said Mr Hanssen.
“The advent of streaming services combined with state-of-the-art smartphones with beautiful big displays has changed the way Australians use their mobile devices.”
Vodafone’s 4G network now covers more than 96 per cent of Australia’s metropolitan population and the telco remains committed to improving coverage all over the country.
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Notes to editors:
4G available with a 4G device and an active prepaid recharge or plan with Vodafone Alerts. 4G in selected cities in Australia. See vodafone.com.au/coverage