Vividwireless will create metro extension networks in five capital cities within 12 months of its Perth “4G” wireless broadband network in March.
Ryan Stokes, a director of the Seven Network, said the extensions would occur in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra.
“These networks will be metro extension networks servicing major university sites and surrounding areas,” Stokes said.
“They’ll be a starting point for future deployments [in those cities]. We’re finalising plans and expect to have the networks in place within 12 months.”
Stokes said the Perth build remained on-track for launch in March.
He said the wireless broadband plans to be made available would include “significantly more data” than competitors and would be offered at lower rates. He believed the pricing would make “the cost of wireless compared to fixed [broadband] start to blur.”
Stokes also said the pricing model would allow customers to connect as many internet-enabled devices to a single data plan as they wanted.
He said vividwireless would target the mobile computing market, as distinct from the mobile communications market targeted by 3G operators.
Stokes believed this would enable the network operator to take advantage of burgeoning demand for “light computing devices”, such as netbooks and the Apple iPad.
“We believe demand for the mobile computing market will outgrow all other forms of connectivity,” he said.
But he did not rule out a future push into the mobile communications market.
“4G when combined with Wi-Fi presents interesting concepts for avoiding excess network charges for smartphones,” Stokes said.
He also responded to questions over whether the network was truly 4G.
“Some may question the validity of calling vividwireless a 4G network,” Stokes said.
“Perhaps I should just say our G is the next G”.
