(Image Credit: Marko Mikkonen)
At the Telstra 2015 Australian Digital Summit in Sydney, CEO Andrew Penn announced a major coverage goal: Telstra will extend 4G access to 99 percent of Australia’s population by June 2017. To reach that target, the company plans an AU$5 billion investment over the following three years.
“We are committed to having the best network in Australia, with the broadest coverage. We are already investing billions of dollars. Earlier this year, we announced a further increase in our investment,” Penn said at the summit.
Independent testing provides context for those claims. Each year the P3 CommsDay Mobile Benchmark Australia report evaluates user experience across Australia’s major mobile networks. The assessment covers key performance areas such as call quality, file upload and download speeds, call success rates, web browsing, and mobile video performance.
In the P3 2015 benchmark, Telstra led in most categories. For voice performance, Telstra recorded the fastest call setup times in metropolitan areas at 6.2 seconds, followed by Optus at 6.4 seconds and Vodafone at 8.0 seconds. In regional and less-populated locations Telstra again topped the ranking with a 6.0 second setup, Vodafone recorded 6.1 seconds, and Optus 6.6 seconds.
Leveraging our superior spectrum holdings, we will create new levels of coverage and performance leadership.
For data speeds in metro areas, Telstra achieved an average download speed of 46.4 Mbps, Optus averaged 38.3 Mbps, and Vodafone averaged 31.7 Mbps. Vodafone performed strongly on uploads, posting the highest average upload speed at 19.9 Mbps, followed by Telstra at 18.7 Mbps and Optus at 9.5 Mbps.
The report highlights that while Telstra remains ahead—improving about 7 percent compared with its 2014 results—its rivals are catching up rapidly. Vodafone showed the most notable progress, improving its overall performance score by roughly 40 percent year-on-year.
Given this tightening competition, Telstra’s planned investment appears aimed at preserving its market lead. The operator will focus on network innovation while continuing rollout of VoLTE (Voice over LTE) and LTE Advanced technologies to deliver higher speeds and better voice experience.
“We will also start rapidly deploying the next generation of LTE technology, including voice over LTE, LTE Broadcast, and the next stage of LTE Advance, which is delivering peak network download speeds of up to 600Mbps,” Penn said at the summit.
He added: “By leveraging our superior spectrum holdings, we will create new levels of coverage and performance leadership for 4GX.”
Telstra’s 4GX network began deployment in 2014 using 700 MHz spectrum. Recently the company activated VoLTE for some customers with compatible handsets in 4G areas. Telstra also plans to launch a 5G network later in the decade in partnership with Ericsson.
Telstra’s strategy and the planned capital outlay make clear the operator intends to sustain its lead despite mounting pressure from competitors. The coming years will show how intensified investment and faster technological rollout shape the Australian mobile market and the customer experience.
Do you believe Telstra will be able to maintain its lead? Let us know in the comments.