14 DAY TRIAL // Australian wireless carrier Optus has announced the upcoming availability of the dual-band TDD/FDD-LTE versions of the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S4 mini smartphones from Samsung.
At the moment, Optus has its TDD-LTE network available in parts of Canberra, Australia, but the carrier plans on expanding it across select Australian metropolitan areas over the coming year.
“This exciting launch from Samsung means Optus customers can get their hands on two great new smartphones – then get ready for a new network experience,” Rohan Ganeson, managing director, sales, Optus, commented on the launch.
“These smartphones, combined with our new TDD/FDD-LTE network paves the way for greater 4G capacity on the Optus network,” Ganeson also stated.
The new dual-mode GALAXY S4 smartphone will become available for purchase on the wireless carrier’s network starting with mid-September 2013.
According to Ausdroid, it will be released with $7 monthly handset repayment on the Optus $60 My Plan, with a minimum total cost of $1608 (€1086) over 24 months. It costs $744 (about €500) if purchased outright.
When launched, the handset will provide support for 4G (LTE Cat 3 100/50Mbps) 850/1800/2100/2600 (FDD) 2300/2600 (TDD) frequencies, as well as for 3G (HSPA+ 42Mbps) 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz, and 2.5G (GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE) 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz.
As for the Galaxy S4 mini, it is available with $5 monthly handset repayments on the Optus $50 My Plan (a minimum total cost of $1320 / €892 over 24 months). The smartphone’s full retail price tag has been set at $576 (around €390).
It packs support for 4G (LTE Cat 3 100/50Mbps) 850/1800/2100/2600MHz (FDD) 2300/2600MHz (TDD), 3G (HSPA+ 42Mbps): 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz, and GPRS/EDGE 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz connectivity.
The list of hardware specifications of the two devices remains unchanged when compared to the international models.