Optus demonstrates new mobile test results

Telco giant Optus has revealed the results of its Long Term Evolution 4G mobile trials, confirming it recorded speeds of over 40mbps.

The trial, which was conducted in the Sydney suburbs, demonstrated new technology that is about 10 times faster than the speeds currently recorded on 3G networks.

“The second phase will have many more base stations. That will let us load up the network,” Optus mobile network director Andrew Smith told The Australian. “We’ll also see how the network interacts with our 2G and 3G networks.”

The company hopes to increase its power in the mobile market and bank on the use of high-powered smartphones and the demand for heavy data consumption. It cites figures shown in the year to March 31, 3G services for the company increased by 40%.

The new technology is expected to provide a theoretical speed of over 300mpbs, but average download rates will be much lower.