Vodafone has expanded its Australia-wide mobile network, adding 128 new mobile sites across the network.
The new sites were activated between December 2017 and January this year in select metro, outer-metro and regional areas of New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
Vodafone says the expansion will deliver improved mobile services and provide indoor mobile coverage to an additional 140,000 Australians.
The telco also announced it has introduced 4G services to 91 mobile sites across its network to strengthen 4G voice and data services for customers in these areas.
{loadposition peter}Vodafone Chief Technology Officer, Kevin Millroy, said switching on the new sites will give local communities a variety of benefits and “deliver an overall better experience when using their favourite mobile device”.
“This is a significant milestone for Vodafone and sets the tone for a big year ahead as we continue to invest heavily in our mobile network.
“The new and upgraded sites strengthen our 4G services and help deliver tailored benefits to different areas, such as faster data speeds, smoother music and video streaming, or stronger mobile coverage when indoors.
“Activating such a significant number of mobile sites means we’re providing an even better Vodafone experience to thousands of Australians while they’re at home, visiting their favourite holiday spots, using major transport routes or living in areas that have increased in population.”
Millroy says the new sites provide deeper coverage on Vodafone’s mobile network, including improved indoor coverage, more capacity and - in conjunction with existing sites in each area - an even more consistent and reliable network experience.
“Since activating the new sites, we’ve seen great results across the board. For instance, testing showed a 70% increase in data speeds for our customers in Torquay, Victoria.
“In Sydney’s west, we’ve seen an increase of almost 30% in data usage from residents of Penrith.
“Vodafone customers enjoying the foreshore areas of Larrakeyah and Fannie Bay in Darwin are experiencing improved voice and data services, particularly indoors, and up to a 15 per cent increase in data speeds. This means smoother video streaming, and less time spent loading webpages and downloading emails.
“Over recent years we have spent billions of dollars to expand and strengthen our mobile network. Our aim is to give Australians more choice and competition so they no longer have to put up with the status quo.”