Vodafone signs deal with Optus to boost NQ coverage, reliability, and cost savings
Telstra and Optus’ market dominance in North Queensland will be seriously challenged by a third contender who is boosting their coverage and backing it with cheaper deals. See what’s changing.
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A new network sharing agreement has set the scene for Vodafone to seriously challenge Optus and Telstra’s duopoly operating in North Queensland by quadrupling its coverage, while offering customers better reliability, cheaper plans, and more data.
In what was described as the “biggest change in telecommunications competition in the last 30 years”, Vodafone is offering improved 4G and 5G mobile phone services, improved mobile performance and reliability, by harnessing an additional 70 towers around the Townsville region from the end of January 2025.
The Charters Towers, Ayr and Ingham region will see mobile sites increase from 10 to 23, the Bowen Basin region will lift from 7 to 28, while the Whitsunday region will be boosted from 5 to 16.
The expansion was made possible by an innovative network sharing deal between Vodafone and Optus in regional Australia, supercharging Vodafone’s network from 400,000 square kilometres of coverage to over a million.
The two telcos will also share their wireless spectrum – the invisible airwaves that make mobile services possible – to deliver improved service quality and speeds for customers.
Vodafone’s head of external communications Mitchell Bingemann said the deal would lead to better coverage along North Queensland’s main arterial roads, north and south on the Bruce Highway, west with the Flinders Highway, and in tourist hotspots like the Whitsundays.
“At Vodafone, we see there’s this concept of a bush tax, where if you’re in the regions, you’ve got to pay more to go with another provider,” Mr Bingemann said.
“We think that’s crazy, so this (sharing agreement) is going to … make those big guys honest, taking competition to them, and give more value to the people out in the regions, so they’ve got more choice.
“Every dollar counts at the moment, so the more money we can put back in people’s hip pockets, the better.”
The changes wouldn’t just benefit Vodafone users, with its parent company TPG Telecom is also home to a number of other leading mobile and internet brands including iiNet, Internode, felix, and TPG.
He said Apple iPhone users had a lot to gain, given that Vodafone has won multiple awards over the last three years for its iPhone plans.
“We are consistently at a better price point, and we offer more data than the other guys, so we will be that third credible force for competition in the region,” he said.
Vodafone General Manager Consumer Sales Russell Turner described the network upgrade as a “game-changer for regional Australia”.
“Residents in Townsville will soon have more choice for reliable mobile and internet coverage with TPG expanding its network reach across the Townsville region from 82 to 152 mobile sites,” Mr Turner said.
For more information, visit: www.vodafone.com.au.
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Originally published as Vodafone signs deal with Optus to boost NQ coverage, reliability, and cost savings
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