Apple's new iPhone models will support dual-mode 4G in Australia

iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c will support both TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE networks

Apple's new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c smartphones will support dual-mode 4G networks in Australia, it has been confirmed.

Apple's new iPhone 5s will support the Optus "dual-band" 4G networks in Australia.
Apple's new iPhone 5s will support the Optus "dual-band" 4G networks in Australia.

Apple's Australian specifications page for both the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c confirms both devices will support the 1800MHz FDD-LTE network (band 3), and the 2300MHz TD-LTE network (band 40) used in Australia.

The iPhone 5c variant for Australia will be the A1529 model, while the iPhone 5s is the A1530 device. Both new iPhones come in five seperate models each in order to support various global mobile networks in different markets.

Optus is currently the only telco in Australia to offer both TDD-LTE (time-division duplex) and FDD-LTE (frequency-division duplex) 4G networks, marketed as its "dual band" network.

However, Optus' TDD-LTE on the 2300MHz network band is currently only available in selected parts of Canberra. The telco says the TDD-LTE network will be rolled out across selected Australian metropolitan centres over the next 12 months.

The 2300MHz TDD network uses the entire available frequency for both downloads and uploads, whereas the existing 1800MHz FDD network has dedicated slots for uploads and downloads.

As they support both FDD and TDD 4G networks, the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c dual-mode devices simply switch to whichever Optus 4G network is available.

While dual-mode 4G smartphones are relatively new, Apple was beaten to the milestone by Samsung. Optus revealed last month that it would launch dual-mode 4G versions of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, both currently on sale.

At the time, Samsung said the Galaxy phones were the world's-first TDD-LTE (time-division duplex) and FDD-LTE (frequency-division duplex) devices.

Before announcing the new iPhone models and launching the dual-band Galaxy smartphones, Optus only had a dual-mode Wi-Fi hotspot and a mobile broadband USB dongle (Canberra only) available to customers.

Related content

Apple iPhone 5s preview
Apple iPhone 5c preview
Apple prices iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s for Australia
Apple iPhone 5 review

Join the newsletter!

Or

Sign up to gain exclusive access to email subscriptions, event invitations, competitions, giveaways, and much more.

Membership is free, and your security and privacy remain protected. View our privacy policy before signing up.

Error: Please check your email address.

Tags smartphonesApplemobile phonesiPhoneiphone 5sios 7iPhone 5C

Keep up with the latest tech news, reviews and previews by subscribing to the Good Gear Guide newsletter.
Ross Catanzariti

Ross Catanzariti

Good Gear Guide
Show Comments

Most Popular Reviews

Latest Articles

Resources

PCW Evaluation Team

Cate Bacon

Aruba Instant On AP11D

The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.

Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti

Aruba Instant On AP11D

Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.

Tom Pope

Dynabook Portégé X30L-G

Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.

Tom Sellers

MSI P65

This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.

Lolita Wang

MSI GT76

It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.

Featured Content

Product Launch Showcase

Don’t have an account? Sign up here

Don't have an account? Sign up now

Forgot password?