Optus announces 85% 3G network coverage (Australia)Optus Australia has announced it’s coverage for 3G which has reached 85% of the total population.
“We are very pleased to announce we hit 85 per cent in terms of 3G availability across the country,” said Maha Krishnapillai, director of government and corporate affairs.
Last year January, the mobile operator was expanding it’s network to 96% of population by using a combo of 900MHz and 2,100MHz frequencies, which will cost an estimate of $500 million if the network were entirely rolled out at 2,100MHz.
In December it was confirmed, that the firm will use both frequencies, setting the cost at $500 million and appointing vendors as Huawei and Nokia Siemens Networks for the roll-out.
In May this year, the operator has decided to go a step ahead, by investing an additional $315 million which in turn will allow the network to reach 98% of the population when completed, instead of the planned 96%. The deadline for completion has been moved to December 2009.
“For the first time we believe that we will be going head to head with Telstra,” Krishnapillai said of the coverage increase.
Optus will be having an upper hand over its key rival, as the population density in certain areas has changed since Telstra laid its network. “We have the luxury of putting our network in those places where the population centres are in 2008,” Krishnapillai said.
