Vodafone Australia is a telecommunications brand operating in Australia, providing mobile and fixed broadband services. Established on 10 June 2009, it was created through a merger between Hutchison Telecommunications Australia, owner of the Three network, and Vodafone Australia. After the merger, the company was renamed Vodafone Hutchison Australia, with 50% of its ownership sold to Vodafone Group, marking its creation as Australia's third-largest mobile telecommunications provider. In August 2018, Vodafone Hutchison Australia announced plans to merge with TPG, Australia’s second-largest internet service provider. The merger faced initial opposition from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission due to potential competition reduction concerns, but it was eventually approved by the Federal Court of Australia in February 2020. The merger was completed in July 2020, and Vodafone Australia became a subsidiary of TPG Telecom. Vodafone Group and Hutchison Telecommunications Australia now own a combined 50.1% of the merged group, with TPG shareholders owning the remaining 49.9%.
Alias
TPG Telecom, Vodafone-TPG
Country
Australia
Type
Mobile Network Operator
Vodafone Australia logo

Vodafone Australia 3G Network

Vodafone Australia commenced 3G operations on the 2100 MHz band on 20th October 2006. The network was upgraded to support 7.2/14.4 Mbps HSPA on 1st January 2008. UMTS 900 was introduced on 31st August 2009, improving coverage and indoor signal penetration. UMTS850 was launched on 1st January 2011, further extending network reach and capacity. On 13th September 2012, the network was upgraded to support DC-HSPA+ with 42 Mbps speeds, using the 850, 900 and 2100 MHz bands. This upgrade doubled the network's data capacity and speed. Vodafone refarmed its 850 MHz spectrum to provide a long range 4G network in 2014.

Vodafone announced its 3G network would officially shut down 15th December 2023.

Status
Shut Down
Date Event Subtype
Closure of the Vodafone 3G network
Shut Down

Vodafone Australia 4G Network

Vodafone Australia confirmed its LTE1800 trial results in Q4 2010 in Newcastle, NSW, using 10 MHz of the 1800 MHz spectrum. A subsequent trial was conducted in Sydney. In 2012, the company chose not to bid in the 4G mobile license auction, instead utilising its 1800 MHz spectrum to deploy its LTE network and upgrade its 3.5G network. By February 2013, Vodafone tested LTE technology in Sydney, achieving initial download speeds of up to 67 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 30 Mbps. The commercial launch of the LTE1800 service for existing customers occurred on June 12, 2013 in selected metro areas, and was extended to new customers on July 10, 2013. By January 2014, 1 million LTE devices were connected. Category 4 (150 Mbps) devices were introduced in January 2014. Vodafone launched LTE using refarmed 850 MHz spectrum in Adelaide in October 2014 and commercially launched 225 Mbps LTE-Advanced in November 2014. By mid-2015, 96% coverage of metro population was achieved by refarming 850 MHz previously used for 3G. LTE-Advanced coverage was launched in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and Sydney by December 4, 2014. Vodafone commercially launched VoLTE service in December 2015 for post-paid users.

In August 2021 TPG exchanged its 2.6 GHz nationwide spectrum with Dense Air (later becoming Delta Networks) for the company's urban 3.6 GHz spectrum.

Vodafone NB-IoT

Vodafone Australia completed successful trials of NB-IoT in 2016, commercially launching their dedicated IoT network in October 2017 over the B8 (900 MHz) band. The NB-IoT network utilises an unused GSM channel in VHA's 8 MHz paired spectrum, with centre frequencies of 911 and 956 MHz.

4G Frequency Bands
Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status Known EARFCNs
B1 (2100 MHz)
10
Active
50
B3 (1800 MHz)
10
Active
1900
B5 (850 MHz)
10
Active
2435
Date Event Subtype
Vodafone Australia launched commercial LTE services for new customers, previously restricted to existing subscribers with compatible 4G devices.
Vodafone Australia opted not to bid in the 4G mobile licence auction and decided to use its 1800MHz spectrum for deploying its LTE network and upgrading its 3.5G network.
Vodafone Hutchison Australia tested LTE technology in Sydney using 10MHz of 1800MHz spectrum, achieving initial download speeds of 60-67Mbps and upload speeds of 25-30Mbps, and confirmed it would utilise 20MHz of bandwidth in the same 1800MHz range for consumer LTE introduction.
Vodafone activated LTE services in various parts of Australia, utilising a 2×20MHz of contiguous spectrum in the 1800MHz band, thus reaching speeds of up to 100Mbps.
Vodafone Australia extended 4G network access to pre-paid customers in metropolitan capital cities and increased some pre-paid data allowances.
Vodafone Australia launched two new 'Category 4' enabled 4G mobile broadband devices capable of delivering theoretical data speeds of up to 150Mbps, utilising the operator's contiguous 20MHz spectrum holdings in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
Vodafone Hutchison Australia activated its 4G LTE network in Tasmania, which involved successful trials in specific locations such as West Moonah, Cambridge, New Norfolk, Warrane and Hobart Airport.
Vodafone activated 678 new '4G+' sites initially in Victoria with an additional 71 planned for activation over the subsequent six weeks, utilising frequencies in both the 850MHz and 1800MHz bands for the deployment of its LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network.
Vodafone Australia began the commercial rollout of voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) service in December for post-paid customers with select capable devices, but no spectrum details were provided.
Vodafone Hutchison Australia announced that over one million devices were connected to its 4G network, which had been operational since June 2013 and was built using high-quality spectrum capable of managing large customer numbers, high traffic volumes, and rapid data speeds.
The bands of 1.5GHz and 3.6GHz supported 4G technologies, while the 3.6GHz band was also considered for early 5G network construction in Australia.
Vodafone Australia significantly enhanced the coverage for more than 1.5 million customers by refarming its 850MHz spectrum, completing trials in the greater Newcastle area in New South Wales, with tests conducted on a wide range of 4G compatible devices at over 40 sites.
Vodafone Australia boosted its 4G infrastructure across selected areas of New South Wales by refarming spectrum in the 2100MHz band, previously used for 3G services, for use in the 4G network.
Vodafone switched on its 850MHz LTE network across Adelaide and its outer suburbs.
Vodafone Australia conducted extensive laboratory and field testing of voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) technology as part of its 4G network evolution.

Vodafone Australia 5G Network

Vodafone Australia began 5G network construction on 26 February 2020, with over 650 initial sites. By 5 July 2021, in partnership with Nokia, a live 5G standalone network was activated on the 700 MHz spectrum band using Nokia's ReefShark-based AirScale range. This included a triple-band remote radio unit supporting 700 MHz, 850 MHz, and 900 MHz. On 8 July 2021, Samsung Electronics conducted Australia's first 5G virtualised RAN (vRAN) trial on the 26 GHz band in New South Wales, deploying its Compact Macro product. On 3 August 2021, Vodafone Australia increased its 3.6 GHz spectrum holdings to 90 MHz in Adelaide and 95 MHz in Brisbane, Perth, and Canberra, and by 5 MHz to 65 MHz in Sydney and Melbourne. On 5 August 2021, Vodafone Australia used Nokia's integrated 5G Interleaved Passive Active Antenna (IPAA) in Brisbane, combining 3G, 4G, and 5G on existing mid-band frequencies (1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, and 2600 MHz), potentially increasing capacity by up to 80%.

By 7 September 2021, Vodafone completed the virtualisation of its core network with Ericsson, becoming the first Australian operator to virtualise its entire 4G and 5G customer base. On 27 October 2021, TPG Telecom deployed the region's first 5G femtocell in a live network, using Nokia's modular 4G/5G Smart Node solution for superior indoor 5G coverage. On 15 November 2021, Vodafone Australia achieved over 85% 5G population coverage in ten of Australia's largest cities and regions, launching its 5G Standalone (SA) core that directly connected devices to 5G, using its 700 MHz spectrum holdings. On 16 November 2022, the network demonstrated a 5G uplink speed of 2 Gbps using Nokia's commercial AirScale Radio solution and TPG Telecom's 5G mmWave spectrum. On 10 August 2023, TPG Telecom Limited showcased a live 360-degree video broadcast enabled by Nokia's 5G Uplink Carrier Aggregation technology and MediaTek's 5G mobile chipset technology.

Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status Known EARFCNs
n78 (3500 MHz)
90
Active
n28 (700 MHz)
15
Active
159130
Date Event Subtype
Vodafone Australia planned to conduct 5G demonstrations on its network in the second half of 2016, though the specifics on the frequency band or spectrum used were not disclosed.
Vodafone Hutchison Australia initiated the construction of more than 650 initial 5G sites, planning for several thousand more in the coming years.
TPG Telecom completed millimetre wave trials in the 28GHz band in Carlingford, achieving downlink speeds of around 2Gbps.
TPG Telecom deployed the region's first 5G femtocell in a live network, utilising Nokia's modular 4G/5G Smart Node solution to provide superior indoor 5G coverage.
Vodafone Australia, in collaboration with Samsung Electronics, completed a successful 5G virtualised RAN (vRAN) 26GHz mmWave trial which began in July, with the scope of the trial now set to increase.
Vodafone Australia, under TPG Telecom, increased its 3.6GHz spectrum holdings from 60MHz to 90MHz in Adelaide and to 95MHz in Brisbane, Perth, and Canberra, and by 5MHz to 65MHz in Sydney and Melbourne.
Vodafone Australia achieved over 85% 5G population coverage in ten of Australia's largest cities and regions by launching its 5G Standalone (SA) core that directly connected devices to 5G, utilising its 700MHz spectrum holdings.
The network showcased a 5G uplink speed of 2Gbps using Nokia’s commercial AirScale Radio solution and TPG Telecom's 5G mmWave spectrum.
Vodafone Australia and Nokia activated a live 5G standalone network on the 700MHz spectrum band using equipment from Nokia's ReefShark based AirScale product range, which included a triple-band remote radio unit supporting 700MHz, 850MHz, and 900MHz.
Vodafone Australia utilised Nokia's integrated 5G Interleaved Passive Active Antenna (IPAA) in Brisbane, allowing for the combination of 3G, 4G, and 5G on existing mid-band frequencies (1800MHz, 2100MHz, and 2600MHz), potentially increasing capacity by up to 80%.
TPG Telecom, trading as Vodafone Australia, teamed up with Ericsson to complete the virtualisation of its core network, becoming the first operator in Australia to have its entire 4G and 5G customer base on a virtualised platform.
Samsung Electronics conducted Australia's first 5G virtualised RAN (vRAN) trial on the 26GHz band in New South Wales using an integrated mmWave solution for mobile and fixed-wireless services, deploying its Compact Macro product in the Glebe area.
TPG Telecom Limited showcased a live 360-degree video broadcast enabled by Nokia's 5G Uplink Carrier Aggregation technology and MediaTek's 5G mobile chipset technology.

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