Optus, the mobile broadband service provider, demonstrates the initial results of its Long Term Evolution 4G mobile trials. The first phase, which peaked at download speeds of about 40 megabits per second, was conducted in the Sydney suburb of Gordon. The demonstration also achieved upload speeds of 850Kbps - both its download and upload figures are around ten times faster than what is currently available on Optus's 3G network.

The company says that the second phase of the trial will commence later this year. The trials used two base stations at Gordon and Pymble which operated over Nokia Siemens Networks' mobile network equipment.

Optus hopes that LTE will make its mobile business stronger. The segment has experienced a boom over the last two years as customers continue to use data-intensive services.

The technology will be marketed as the successor to 3G mobile networks. Theoretically, it is capable of transmitting data at speeds of 340Mbps. However, customers are expected to experience only a fraction of the said rate.