Australia’s two leading mobile operators have expanded their 4G networks running on the 700MHz band, with both expected to reach 90 per cent of the population by April.

Telstra announced that its 4GX service — LTE-Advanced with two carrier aggregation — now covers 1,000 towns and suburbs with a population of almost one million. The LTE-A network runs on newly-acquired 700MHz spectrum and its existing 1.8GHz network to offer peak download speeds in the (very varied) region of 2-100Mb/s.

The company said 4GX traffic now accounts for 20-30 per cent of total 4G traffic where 4GX is available.

Telstra, Australia’s largest operator with 51 per cent of mobile connections, said 4G now covers 90 per cent of the Australian population. It aims to reach 94 per cent by the middle of the year.

Telstra has 4.6 million 4G connections and is adding more than half a million a quarter, according to GSMA Intelligence.

Meanwhile, rival Optus said it has rolled out its LTE network covering 270 sites across capital cities, regional and holiday centres. The network also runs on newly released 700MHz spectrum.

Optus said its LTE service, which it calls ‘4G in more places’, will be switched on in more than 1,500 sites in metropolitan and regional locations by the end of this month, with plans to cover 90 per cent of the population by April.

Optus has a 31 per cent market share and almost 2.9 million 4G connections.