Voda Fones Home: The launch of Australia's third LTE network

"And that's something that we have taken some learnings from and really just focused on making sure that we offer a really good experience from a device perspective."

Ping: 30ms Download: 41.9Mbps Upload: 13.0Mbps

Vodafone has a very specific strategy for launching LTE, which began earlier this week when it started transitioning current customers to 4G before opening the network to new customers in July.

"I do think that one of the things that we've gotten right is the way that we've taken it to market," said Robert Glennon.

"There's no big promise, there's no big bang, just rewarding our guys first, looking to our customers first and bringing them across [to 4G], making sure we've got the experience right."

The decision to reward loyal customers first paid off, with the initial network switch going better than expected.

"It was a bit like Y2K in here - everyone was kind of anxiously waiting to see how it all went, and there were huge cheers at how smooth the process was," Elise Davidson told us.

What's more, the company only had a total of four calls to customer support on the first day about the LTE switch on.

As more customers are added to the network, that number may increase, but for numbers that Glennon claims are in the tens of thousands, that's an impressive performance.

***

My testing is far from complete. Because frankly, there's still a very long way to go for Voda's LTE network.

Vodafone plans on releasing coverage maps in July when it invites new customers onto the network, which will give a better indication of where LTE is available. In our early testing in Sydney, coverage has been decent, though it's hard to know exactly where to expect 4G coverage.

But as Davidson told us: "It's not an arms race. At our launch, we're not looking for new customers, we want to make sure that the ones that we've got have a seamless experience."

From a pure speed perspective, the signs of Vodafone performing beyond expectations are high. The feel in my hand is that this is generally a bit faster than both Optus and Telstrs.

But until the network is available to everyone, it's tough to know just how well it will perform under load.

Still, the early signs are positive, which is good news for Vodafone customers. As the network expands over the next 12 months and beyond, the performance will ultimately speak for itself.

Having spent the past decade editing some of Australia's leading technology publications, Nick's passion for the latest gadgetry is matched only by his love of watching Australia beat England in the rugby.
Latest in Phones
The iPhone 16 Pro on a grey background
iPhone 17 Pro tipped to get 8K video recording – but I want these 3 video features instead
Google Pixel 9 on blue background with big savings text overlay
Forget Amazon, the best Pixel 9 deal is at Mint Mobile today - get $400 off without an annoying trade-in
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge on display the January 22, 2025 Galaxy Unpacked event.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge colors seemingly revealed in new video, and there’s another sign of an imminent launch
Apple iPhone 16 Pro REVIEW
The iPhone 17 Air looks impressively slim in this new comparison image, but that just makes me more worried about the specs
Two Android phones on a green and blue background showing Google Messages
Google Messages just added a fun upgrade to one of its best chat features
Samsung Galaxy S25 on a blue deals background
Bored with your iPhone? The ‘incredible’ Samsung Galaxy S25 just hit a record-low price in the Amazon Spring Sale
Latest in News
Nintendo Music teaser art
Nintendo Music expands its library with songs from Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Tetris
An image of Pro-Ject's Flatten it closed and opened
Pro-Ject’s new vinyl flattener will fix any warped LPs you inadvertently buy on Record Store Day
The iPhone 16 Pro on a grey background
iPhone 17 Pro tipped to get 8K video recording – but I want these 3 video features instead
EA Sports F1 25 promotional image featuring drivers Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman.
F1 25 has been officially announced, with this year's entry marking a return for Braking Point and a 'significant overhaul' for My Team mode
Garmin clippd integration
Garmin's golf watches just got a big software integration upgrade to help you improve your game
Robert Downey Jr reveals himself as Doctor Doom to a delighted crowd at San Diego Comic-Con 2024
Marvel is currently revealing the full cast for Avengers: Doomsday, and I think it's going to be a long-winded announcement