ITWire

If you’re a Samsung fan and have been wondering when the company’s flagship Samsung Galaxy SIII model would arrive with 4G in Australia, while the wait for availability from the 9^th of October continues, the wait for local release information is over.

Although it was possible to get 4G-class Samsung Galaxy SIII models in the US, the initial units only sported a dual-core processor.

It wasn’t until July that Samsung launched an SIII with both 4G LTE and a quad-core processor in Korea, and while it will still take until the 9^th of October to launch locally, it’s finally happening – with plenty of that all-important fourth quarter of sales to go.

Naturally, Telstra’s head mobile honcho, Andrew Volard, hollered the news via the e-rooftops of email, saying Telstra was “thrilled” to be offering the SIII 4G on Telstra’s “only national 4G-enabled network”, while adding that “the combination of a quad-core processor, the fastest Android operating platform yet and 4G internet speeds will make it incredibly easy for our customers to stream music and video, surf the web and use video chat to connect with their friends”.

Mr Volard continued, noting that “…with Telstra’s 4G coverage now available in more than 100 metropolitan and regional areas across the nation, customers will be able to enjoy a full speed experience in more than twice as many places as other 4G networks.”

One difference between the previous 3G/Next G capable Galaxy SIII and the new 4G SIII model is the upgrade from the previous Ice Cream Sandwich Android OS 4.0 to the new Jelly Bean Android OS 4.1, promising the “fastest and smoothest” Android experience yet.

Telstra also talks up its “HD Voice” feature for Telstra customers using HD Voice handsets, such as the iPhone 5 and obviously the SIII 4G, for “crisper, clearer calls when chatting to mates that have HD Voice compatible handsets on the Telstra Mobile Network”.

As with other 4G-capable phones, the SIII 4G can fall back to Telstra’s DC-HSPA+ “Next G” network when outside of 4G areas, delivering much faster speeds than HSPA+, HSPA or plain ol’ 3G networks are capable of, meaning, in general, much better 3G speeds over a wider than you’d see on Optus or Voda.

Available in “Titanium Gray” (which is presumably one of the 50 shades?) and also “Onyx Black”, these two models will stand out by being different to the white and blue 3G/Next G models.

Telstra advises that “personal customers” which is their way of saying “everyday consumers” can pre-order the SIII 4G now from this part of Telstra’s site.

Meanwhile, business customers will presumably have to speak to their account manager.

On $60 per month plans, both personal and business plans have a “minimum cost of $1584” over 24 months, with both types of plan delivering “$600 worth of standard national calls and MMS plus unlimited text messaging to standard Australian numbers and 1GB of data for use in Australia”.

Telstra also reminds us all of its superior 4G coverage which handily covers “more than 100 metropolitan and regional locations across the nation including all capital CBDs” coupled with an ongoing “4G expansion program that will see ultra-fast 4G mobile coverage spread further across all capital cities over the next 10 months”.

So, whether you’re an iPhan or a Fandroid, 4G LTE capable models await your order, with Windows 8 Phonebois just having to wait it out until sometime in November before they can have their need for speed truly satisfied, although as they say, better LTE than never, eh?