The 4G data splurge

Australian consumers are going to get a real taste of 4G muscle today as the HTC Velocity 4G smartphone makes its debut in Telstra shops and while it's early days for the technology down under its only a matter of time before we are all sucked in by its promise of speed.

The jump to 4G will let customers load web pages up to five times faster with promised download speeds of up to 2-40 megabits per second and upload speeds of 1-10 megabits per second.

Telstra became the first mobile service provider in Australia to launch 4G LTE mobile services last September and coverage is currently available in Australia's eight capital city CBDs and more than 80 regional and metropolitan centres. So far access to the network was available solely through a 4G modem, but the release of the HTC Velocity promises to bring it to the hands of customers and make smartphones all that more attractive.

However, the coverage of Telstra's 4G network is still patchy, with service available only within five kilometres of the GPO in the eight capital cities and three kilometres of the GPO from 80 regional centres. The 4G speeds are also currently available on only 40 per cent of the Telstra network.

The good news is that this is just the beginning of the 4G story in Australia and with Optus' also on the move with regards to the rollout of its 4G network, consumers can look forward to a whole new range smart device applications. As this infographic from Gotta Be Mobile highlights we could all soon be on our way to chugging through 1GB of data thanks to 4G networks.