Telstra has today announced the launch of a new portable Wi-Fi 4G Advanced modem that includes a colour touch screen and supports the new LTE-Advanced network.
Available from Tuesday, 12 October, Telstra claims the Wi-Fi 4G Advanced portable Wi-Fi modem is one of the first hotspot devices globally to support an LTE-Advanced network.
The LTE-Advanced network uses both 900MHz and 1800MHz 4G spectrum bands in Australia, effectively glueing two bands of spectrum together in a process called carrier aggregation.
Telstra's Director of Devices, Andrew Volard, said the Telstra Wi-Fi 4G Advanced is the company's most sophisticated mobile broadband product.
"The Telstra Wi-Fi 4G Advanced is notable for being one of the world's first LTE Advanced-compatible products and it will operate in this mode in some locations where we have a lower 4G band in place for coverage or capacity.""Experience with these initial LTE-A areas on our network will help us refine this technology ahead of its widespread deployment in the coming years."
While the Wi-Fi 4G Advanced modem effectively supports LTE-A, Telstra hasn't activated it yet for consumer use.
The network is currently being trialled in Queensland's Sunshine Coast and Telstra expects to begin rolling it out in 2014.
Telstra says the extra spectrum of LTE-A creates a broader channel, and the lower 900MHz spectrum effectively allows the telco to extend the reach and in-building performance of the 4G signal.
The Wi-Fi 4G Advanced modem is manufactured by NetGear and carries the model name AirCard 782S. It can connect up to 10 Wi-Fi enabled devices at a time, has a 2.4in colour touch screen and promises a battery life of up to ten hours of continuous use.
The screen will display information including data usage, Wi-Fi name, signal strength, number of devices connected, and battery level.
The Telstra Wi-Fi 4G Advanced will be available in Australia from Tuesday, 12 October on a range of 24 month consumer and business plans.
The modem is priced at $6 per month on a $50 Telstra Mobile Broadband plan over 24 months, with 8GB of data included per month.
