In Sydney, it found the average user of its app on Vodafone's 4G network could download at 33.9 megabits per second (Mbps). Telstra customers could download at 20.7 Mbps and Optus at 18.3 Mbps. Optus came first for 4G upload speeds at 8.3 Mbps, Telstra came second with 6.2 Mbps and Vodafone third at 5.2 Mbps. Speed tests conducted by Fairfax over a year ago showed Optus leading the pack in 4G speeds in Sydney, when Vodafone didn't have 4G. Vodafone demonstrated "exceptionally fast" 4G speeds in Sydney, said Samuel Johnston, OpenSignal's marketing and community manager, labelling it the "best performing 4G network in Sydney in terms of speed". In terms of 4G coverage (how far the network reaches) the results in Sydney were fairly close, Johnston said. "Telstra and Vodafone tie best for 4G coverage, with Optus falling slightly behind." (Telstra's coverage maps paint a different picture, with Telstra way ahead in coverage compared with Vodafone.)

In Melbourne, it was a similar story for 4G download speeds, with Vodafone customers achieving an average of 36.6 Mbps, Telstra customers 21.3 Mbps and Optus 12.3 Mbps. Optus did, however, come first for upload speeds on 4G, achieving 11.2 Mbps, while Vodafone came second with 7.64 Mbps speeds and Telstra 6 Mbps. Johnston said Vodafone's 4G network in Melbourne was, like Sydney, exceptionally fast for download speeds, "putting them comfortably in first place". Overall, Johnston said 4G coverage on Telstra's network in Melbourne was the best. Optus was not far behind, and there was "a bit of a step down" to Vodafone. "Even though Vodafone has breathtaking download speeds, users of their network will have less opportunity to use them than Optus or Telstra," he said.

Among the reasons Vodafone came out on top is the fact it currently has more 4G spectrum and fewer 4G customers than its competitors. In October, Vodafone said it had 800,000 4G devices, while in May Telstra said it had 2.1 million. Optus said in November it had 1.377 million 4G handsets, but did not disclose the total number of 4G devices (such as tablets and mobile broadband dongles) on its network. OpenSignal's 3G speed results were a different story, with Telstra offering the fastest download speeds in both Sydney (4.6 Mbps) and Melbourne (4.1 Mbps). Vodafone came second, with download speeds of 3.5 Mbps in Melbourne and 3.4 Mbps in Sydney, while Optus came third with downloads speeds of 3.2 Mbps in Sydney and 3.4 Mbps in Melbourne. Telstra and Vodafone offered the fastest 3G upload speeds in Sydney, tying with 1.6 Mbps, while Optus had 1.1 Mbps.

In Melbourne, Vodafone had a slight edge with upload speeds of 1.5 Mbps, with Optus and Telstra tying on 1.4 Mbps. For Melbourne 3G coverage, Telstra came out comfortably ahead, Johnston said, with Vodafone and Optus offering almost identical coverage in second place. Sydney 3G coverage was relatively close between all three networks, Johnston said. In Melbourne, the results were based on 4542 4G/3G speed tests on Telstra's network, 4211 on Optus' and 2718 on Vodafone's. In Sydney they were based on 3550 Telstra tests, 3542 Optus and 3518 Vodafone. Johnston said the results provided an accurate representation of an average users' experience on each carrier. He also said they showed that Australian telcos on average offer the fastest 4G broadband speeds in the world.

A Vodafone spokeswoman said the results reflected its own testing and it was happy with them. "The team has been working incredibly hard to rebuild our network and roll out 4G as quickly as possible where our customers need and want it and, while there is always more to do, we are pleased with the progress," the spokeswoman said. "Our customers are telling us they're noticing a difference. Perception is harder to shift so we welcome any independent views of the strength of our network – the newest 4G in Australia." An Optus spokeswoman said the company is focusing on strengthening its 3G network, growing 4G network coverage and increasing 4G capacity with its recently launched "4G Plus" network. Although Optus didn't directly respond to questions relating to the results, it said it already crowd-sourced network performance via a tool in its Optus Now app. The spokeswoman also acknowledged crowd-sourcing a customer's actual network experience, unique to their device and location, was "a valuable part of our network testing".

Mike Wright, Telstra's executive director of networks, said Telstra's investment in its network provided the nation's "broadest and most consistently fast mobile data experience across 4G and 3G coverage". He noted it wasn't just data speeds that were important to customers. "We offer the nation's best coverage ... with fewer dead spots, fewer call drop outs and our in-building coverage is more reliable." Loading To use faster 4G speeds, people need either a 4G-compatible smartphone or mobile broadband dongle and to upgrade their 3G plan with their phone company.

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