Telstra has announced that, in a similar fashion to rival Optus, it has launched commercial trials of LTE-based services using the 700MHz band, reported Telegeography.com on July 22, 2014. The cellco is the largest in Australia in terms of subscribers. In a press release, the company confirmed that it will conduct trials using 20MHz of spectrum in the 700MHz band at customers in six locations: Perth, Fremantle, Esperance, Mildura, Mt Isa and Griffith. Looking ahead, Telstra expects to roll out 4G 700MHz services in a “range of cities and regional centers” beginning in January 2015.

Mike Wright, managing director of Telstra Group Networks, commented on the benefits of offering LTE using the 700MHz band. He said: “This spectrum operates at a lower frequency that will give our customers better 4G coverage in buildings, lifts and car parks. Our superior spectrum holding is significant, and as customers take part in this commercial trial, they will experience faster speeds compared to other services in this band.”

Alongside offering 4G services using new frequencies, Telstra has confirmed that it will test LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) technology, combining the spectrum it has in the 700MHz with 1800MHz to offer even faster downlink speeds, enhance capacity and provide better indoor coverage.