Telstra to roll out 450Mbps 4GX, VoLTE, LTE Broadcast and 5G in major mobile network upgrade

Telstra will roll out a range of next generation technologies across its mobile network, including deploying 450Mbps 4GX capabilities in selected capital city CBDs by April this year, along with technology allowing 4G voice calls and broadcasts to mobiles.

In a collaboration with Ericsson and Qualcomm, Telstra is rolling out what it describes as “world’s first” 20/20/20 MHz LTE-Advanced three-band-carrier-aggregation in selected capital cities. The rollout is set to be complete by April, with the carrier promising devices compatible with the ultra-high-speeds later this year.

Telstra is also enabling Voice over LTE (VoLTE), which will allow compatible smartphones and devices to make voice calls using the 4G/LTE network without needing to drop back to slower 2G or 3G networks. The technology was first delivered by South Korean carrier SK Telecom back in August 2012.

Telstra is also rolling out LTE Broadcast (LTE-B), with the capability of streaming content to devices using H.265 codec. This means that if many users are downloading the same video, for example, instead of each download using its own bandwidth, Telstra will be able to broadcast that data once to all devices.

In a statement, Telstra says it intends to enable permanent LTE-B channels at key venues and major events from May, with the carrier planning to roll out the channels for compatible handsets across the network later in the year.

Over the longer term, Telstra is conducting what it describes as “foundational work” with network equipment maker Ericsson ahead of the launch of its 5G network sometime around 2020.