TELSTRA has released its first 4G Blue Tick certified smartphones aimed at people living and working in rural and regional areas.
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The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones are said to provide superior mobile coverage performance and are recommended by Telstra for use by customers who live and work in rural areas.
Up to now, Telstra’s Blue Tick had only been tested for calls carried over a 3G service. With the transition of voice calls to 4G technology (VoLTE) Telstra has now extended it to its 4GX service. The two new Samsung handsets are said to provide the best coverage performance on Telstra’s 4GX service.
Telstra director of device management Andrew Volard said both phones had undergone rigorous testing in laboratories and rural areas to ensure they delivered high quality coverage performance.
“Our mobile network is Australia’s largest and fastest and customers with a GS8 or GS8+ could experience smartphone data speeds among the fastest in the world,” Mr Vorard said.
“Because the devices have been calibrated with Australia’s unique conditions in mind, our customers who live and work in the regions will benefit from superior call quality on our 4GX service.
“The new smartphones also have integrated Wi-Fi calling, meaning voice calls will seamlessly transfer between Telstra’s 4GX service and an available Wi-Fi connection, ensuring even greater coverage.”
Samsung Electronics Australia vice president for IT and mobile Richard Fink said Telstra and Samsung’s close relationship was built on collaboration and a commitment to deliver superior device and network performance.
“We’re incredibly proud to announce that the new GS8 and GS8+ smartphones have met the high standards required by Telstra to receive the first 4G Blue Tick certification,” Mr Fink said.
Blue Tick certification was established by Telstra 10 years ago to help regional customers choose the phone that would provide them with the best coverage experience. Devices are tested for receiver sensitivity in a laboratory under controlled conditions and in rural areas.
According to Telstra the Samsung S8 and S8+ underwent three rounds of testing. This involves testing for throughput performance, antenna sensitivity, protocol conformance, user experience, field testing and stability tests. All up, more than 1864 hours of testing were performed, involving data transfers in excess of two terabytes on Telstra’s commercial network and in the lab.
