Telstra 4G mobile broadband by 2012

Telstra has announced it will implement a 4G mobile broadband wireless network by the end of 2011. It is claimed this will provide similar data rates to ADSL wired links, with typical speeds being 20 to 30 megabits per second. This is using Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, which is a low risk upgrade from the current system. The federal opposition's Malcolm Turnbull has claimed this undermines the case for the fibre optic NBN. However, I see wireless complementary to fibre optic networks, not really a competitor. Fibre will provide more capacity, wheres wireless provides convenience. However, I think the NBN's mix of fibre and wireless could be adjusted to use more wireless, to make the overall cost lower.