Optus 4G network hits 70 Mbps in Bendigo trial

Optus today announced results of the first trial of its 700 MHz 4G network, which attained a peak download speed of 70 megabits in the field.

The trial took place over several months in the regional Victoria town of Bendigo.

Optus CEO Paul O’Sullivan said: “[The trial] has been a success. We achieved peak download speeds of over 70 megabits per second. This wasn’t in the lab - it was in the middle of the Bendigo CBD.”

Günther Ottendorfer, Managing Director of Optus Networks, said: “We tested a variety of popular Optus services and applications over the network, including smartphone apps, mobile TV services, internet TV and online gaming. We also installed a high-definition (HD) video conference unit on the famous Bendigo tram and conducted HD video calls to staff at Optus’s Headquarters in Sydney.”

According to Ottendorfer, the trial indicates that 700 MHz 4G services have the potential to offer an experience that is “significantly faster than existing 4G networks”, with download speeds in the trial reaching 70 Mbps and upload speeds reaching 32 Mbps. In comparison, Telstra claims its 4G network can reach 40 Mbps downlink and 10 Mbps uplink.

Optus also stated that despite concern that a 4G network on the 700 MHz frequency could interfere with local TV services, “no reports of interference with either local or out-of-area TV services were recorded, despite mobile services operating alongside existing TV channels”.