Optus switches on 4.5G in Macquarie Park

Optus has switched on its 4.5G network across the suburb of Sydney’s Macquarie Park high-tech innovation district.

During testing of the new network, Optus achieved speeds of 1.03 Gbps. The company plans to roll out 4.5G initially in selected capital cities. Over the next 12 months, Optus expects the technology to reach over 70% of its networks in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Optus Managing Director of Networks Dennis Wong said the upgrade marks a key stepping stone towards the company’s evolution to 5G, the next generation of mobile technology expected to be commercialised by 2020.

Optus’s 4.5G network in Macquarie Park uses technologies including four- or five-component carrier aggregation, which involves combining spectrum across multiple spectrum frequency bands into a coherent high-capacity mobile network.

It also utilises the key pre-standard 5G technologies 4x4 multiple input multiple output, which involves using an array of antennas both at the base station and handset end, and 256 quadrature amplitude modulation, which combines 256 amplitude-modulated signals into a single channel.

Wong commented that “4.5G is a key area of investment for our network evolution towards 5G. It is an important enabler for 5G and we are excited to be able to deliver this new initiative to our customers at Macquarie Park.”

He said the diversity of infrastructure in the region will help Optus see how the network performs across a wide variety of scenarios.

Rival Vodafone has meanwhile announced it is expanding its 4G network in Tasmania with the construction of six new towers in and around Launceston.

Once operational, the new towers are expected to provide a combined 428 square kilometres of additional mobile coverage in the state. Vodafone also switched on two additional towers in the area late last year.

“Vodafone is investing heavily and working hard to improve and expand its services in and around Launceston, as it is around the whole country,” Vodafone CTO Kevin Millroy said.

“Vodafone is committed to expanding its network to help fuel economic growth and jobs, and enable customers to quickly access the applications, services and content that matters most to them.”

Image courtesy Optus.

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