Vodafone doubles Australian mobile coverage thanks to Optus deal

Regional Australians are set to benefit from improved mobile coverage and greater competition as Vodafone doubles the reach of its Australian network to cover more than 1 million square kilometres.

The expansion comes thanks to a $1.17 billion network-sharing deal between Optus and Vodafone Australia’s parent company TPG Telecom. The Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) agreement triples Vodafone’s regional mobile sites across the country and increases its 4G population coverage from 96% to 98.4%, following Australia’s 3G network shutdown.

Customers will also benefit from extended 5G connectivity as part of the regional agreement, with 1,500 5G sites live by 2028, expanding to 2,444 sites by 2030.

Approved by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in 2024, the 11-year deal allows TPG and Optus to reduce costs and set up their Australian 5G infrastructure two years ahead of schedule.

The deal follows TPG’s non-exclusive partnership with US satellite company Lynk Global in 2024, to help eliminate mobile dead zones across Australia.

Vodafone MVNOs set to get better network coverage

With the January 30 switch-on, the extended coverage is available immediately and at no extra charge to all Vodafone customers. This includes customers of other TPG Telecom brands including TPG, iiNet, Lebara and Felix.

Other Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) that will benefit from Vodafone’s expanded network coverage in Australia include Kogan Mobile and LycaMobile.

Meanwhile, as part of the agreement, Optus will gain access to TPG’s mobile spectrum in regional Australia. This will result in extra network capacity, faster speeds and extended 5G coverage for Optus customers and potentially those MVNOs that rely on the Optus network. 

Optus MVNOs include AGL, Amaysim, Aussie Broadband, Catch Connect, Circles.Life, Coles Mobile, Dodo, iPrimus, Moose Mobile, Southern Phone, SpinTel and Yomojo.

Which areas of Australia benefit most?

While the network-sharing deal between TPG and Optus will benefit every state and territory, the greatest increases in network area coverage come to outback regions of Queensland (312%), South Australia (257%) and the Northern Territory (253%).

The deal improves network performance at a range of top regional holiday hotspots. This includes increasing coverage from 86.5% to 95.3% of the population in NSW’s Coffs Harbour, 88.6% to 90% in Queensland’s Gladstone, 69.6% to 97.5% in Victoria’s Grampians and 66.7% to 96.1% in South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula.

What happened to previous Australia network-sharing deals?

In 2022, the ACCC blocked a proposed similar network-sharing deal between TPG and Telstra. The consumer watchdog noted that such a deal would lessen competition and not benefit regional Australians, considering that Telstra already offers Australia’s most extensive regional network coverage.

A TPG-Telstra deal would have extended Vodafone’s Australian coverage to 98.8% of the population.

Back in 2019, TPG abandoned its plans to build Australia’s fourth mobile network, which would have further increased mobile competition. Instead, TPG went on to merge with Vodafone Hutchinson Australia.

Telstra and Hutchison Australia – operator of “3”, Australia’s first 3G mobile network – ended an eight-year network-sharing deal in 2012, after Vodafone Australia and Hutchison merged in 2009.

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Save up to $110 on TPG NBN internet the next two weeks

When money’s tight, you want to squeeze every dollar as far as it can go. Cutting back on internet costs is one way to keep the budget in check, so $50 off TPG NBN isn’t a bad deal. Depending on your choice of plan, there’s a way to save up to $110 too.

Until 11 February 2025, you can save $50 on TPG NBN plans, from 12Mbps download speeds all the way up to 800Mbps. TPG offers a mix of plans with and without fixed contracts, but finding a good price without a contract frees you up to easily swap over when a better deal comes along.

As is usually the case, the discount only applies to new connections. While many internet deals apply as an ongoing discount over six months, TPG’s offer applies as a $50 credit on the second invoice, providing the savings sooner.

On top of the $50 credit, TPG’s NBN 100 plan is also $10 off for the first six months. So, instead of paying a monthly $89.99 sum, you pay $79.99. Combined with the credit, it works out to be a $110 saving in total.

When compared to the cheapest NBN plans, TPG’s NBN 100 plan is a bit pricier than some telcos, although the added $50 discount makes it more competitive. Here are the current best deals on NBN internet with 100Mbps download speeds for comparison:

Behind Telstra, TPG is the second-largest residential NBN provider according to the ACCC’s wholesale market report. Australia’s consumer watchdog also lists the telco as one of the more reliable internet service providers, reaching 101.8% of its advertised speeds during busy hours per the latest Measuring Broadband Australia report.

While you’re at it, you can browse the cheapest SIM plans for even more savings.

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Samsung hopes its AI means you use your phone less

You wouldn’t expect a mobile phone executive to want people to spend less time on screens, but we are living in strange times. If all goes well with Samsung’s big AI phone push, that’s exactly what the tech giant hopes will happen.

In an interview with GadgetGuy, Eric Chou, Samsung Australia’s Head of Mobile Experience, shared the self-labelled “counterintuitive” sentiment coming from a global phone brand.

“We recognise that people are now spending a lot more time glued to their screen,” Chou said. “This obviously is becoming a bit of an issue where everyone’s now talking about everyone spending too much time on their screens and less time with each other.”

As seen in Samsung’s recent advertising of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the goal is to use AI to handle multiple requests simultaneously. Instead of swiping between multiple different apps, the company’s vision is, as Chou puts it, to make devices that are “able to intuitively know what you’re doing and be able to help you”.

This ethos is most evident through Samsung’s new “AI Select” feature. Part of the One UI 7 operating system upgrade, it’s designed to automatically recognise context-specific tasks based on what’s visible on-screen. Samsung uses the example of translating text on a festival poster, which the AI assistant can do, in addition to adding calendar details and saving the image from the same screen.

Aussies love Galaxy AI translation

Backing up what Chou said in a 2024 interview, Samsung’s set of Galaxy AI features has a fairly high adoption rate. The company’s internal data indicates that around 80% of Australians with a flagship Galaxy device use at least one of the features every month.

Part of this can be attributed to Samsung’s ubiquitous approach to AI. It doesn’t want users to think about opening a separate app or whether something is “AI” or not. Instead, the company’s mission is to seamlessly integrate these features throughout devices.

Image: Supplied.

Google’s Circle to Search tool remains one of the most popular recent features, while Chou mentioned the popularity of Samsung’s on-device translation features “given a very big population of Australians who speak a second language, and they have families overseas”.

“We also find that those who use [the translation features], use it more than 10 times a day,” Chou said. “It’s one of those things where we say that it’s now becoming quite an integral part of their daily lives, and it’s a feature they now can no longer live without.”

It’s also worth noting that while Samsung currently has “no plans” to put Galaxy AI behind a paywall, some third-party features might cost money after 2025.

Camera remains king

With how saturated the banner of AI has become in recent years, is it something customers actually look for when buying a phone? According to Samsung, it’s gaining ground as a purchasing factor, but camera quality is still the number one feature people look for.

“Over the past 10 years, when you actually consider an upgrade to mobile, the number one consideration is ‘does that phone also have a great camera?'” Chou said. “However, what we’re actually seeing is that over time, especially in the last 12 months, more of that consideration factor is also now shifting towards AI.”

“What we also find is that just talking about AI for AI’s sake is not necessarily what’s going to help people make that decision.”

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera array is a big selling point. Image: Chris Button.

Ironically, the more money people spend on a phone, the sooner they’re likely to upgrade when a new model arrives. According to Chou, the trend of 36-month phone contracts has extended the time users hold onto handsets. However, those who choose an Ultra model usually upgrade within two years, a shorter timespan than other phones.

“Every time there is a meaningful innovation that comes out, consumers – especially those who are considering having the best technology – tend to have a very strong willingness to upgrade,” Chou said.

“As opposed to, for example, the [Galaxy] A-series, people buy more for the utility. They’re the ones who tend to hold on to their devices for a lot longer.”

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Leaked iPhone SE 4 video shows Apple’s overhauled budget phone

Mockups for what appears to be the iPhone SE 4 have surfaced online, showing some big changes for Apple’s rumoured budget phone refresh.

Reports surrounding a new entry-level iPhone began circulating last year as momentum gathered ahead of the eventual iPhone 16 release. More recently, publications like Tom’s Guide have covered various leaks, including a video from the prominent leaker known online as Majin Bu.

In the video shared to X, a prototype device shows what looks like the rumoured iPhone SE 4 from various angles. It’s noticeably larger than the Gen 3 iPhone SE from 2022, allegedly sporting a screen measuring 6.06 inches, up from 4.7 inches. As previously reported, the upcoming model seemingly abandons the home button in favour of a full touchscreen, like the rest of the iPhone range.

Here's what the iPhone SE 4 looks like pic.twitter.com/pEyIAJ34VR

— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) January 25, 2025

It’s also likely to be the first SE to have a USB-C connector instead of the previous models’ proprietary Lightning port. Apple made the change with the iPhone 15 range in 2023 to comply with European Union requirements.

Based on the recent video, it looks like the rumoured new phone has a programmable Action Button, but not the touch-sensitive Camera Control button found on the iPhone 16. One remaining question mark hovers over the phone’s processor; its chip and RAM count will determine Apple Intelligence feature compatibility.

iPhone SE 4 release date and price in Australia

Apple hasn’t confirmed any details at this stage, but the refreshed SE likely will launch in March or April 2025. In terms of Australian pricing, the Gen 3 iPhone SE retails for $719, so we’ll have to wait and see how much the Gen 4 model costs.

As with any leaks, it’s worth taking the latest information with a grain of salt. However, considering the reporting from multiple reputable publications, it’s more likely than not that Apple will reveal its budget handset soon.

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Australia misses AirPods hearing aid feature despite TGA approval

Australians hoping to use AirPods as an affordable hearing aid alternative were left disappointed by its omission from Apple’s latest iOS 18.3 update.

Apple launched hearing aid functionality in more than 100 regions last year for the AirPods Pro 2. Australia wasn’t among the initial rollout, with hopeful users lamenting the missing feature on Apple’s discussion forums.

As reported by Information Age, Apple secured approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration for two separate medical devices on 17 December 2024. One was for a “hearing aid” device, the other for “hearing aid fitting” software.

See Also

28/01/2025

iOS 18.3 is live and lets you identify your pets

Both listings refer to Apple’s Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features respectively. Using a pair of AirPods Pro 2 and an iPhone, you can take a guided test to assess for potential hearing loss. Meanwhile, Apple claims its in-ear headphones double as a “clinical-grade” hearing aid, replete with several feature-specific settings.

Since iOS 18.3 launched overnight, users have taken to Apple’s accessibility discussion forums to ask why the feature isn’t available yet. Australia and Canada are among the countries without AirPods hearing aid functionality, while the United Kingdom currently only has the Hearing Test feature.

Specialised hearing aids can cost thousands of dollars, compared to the $399 price tag of the AirPods Pro 2. It explains why Australians are so keen to try an alternative from a major tech company.

Overseas reviews, including one from the audiologist-run HearAdvisor, suggest that Apple’s earbuds work reasonably well as hearing aids, albeit after some fine-tuning. Wirecutter reported similar sentiments, praising the AirPods as an over-the-counter solution but expressed concern about the limited battery life impacting all-day usefulness.

Fingers crossed Australia doesn’t have to wait much longer before Apple flicks the switch on its hearing assistance features.

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iOS 18.3 is live and lets you identify your pets

Apple has launched the public version of iOS 18.3 across eligible iPhones, adding more features to Apple Intelligence and a few tweaks along the way.

It’s one of the lighter iPhone software updates in recent months. In fact, the latest iOS both giveth and taketh away. As reported last week, Apple has paused AI-generated notification summaries from news apps. It follows some high-profile mistakes made by the feature, including a misconstrued BBC headline.

For the remaining apps compatible with notification summaries, it’ll be clearer when generative AI is involved. Apple now italicises any notifications summarised by Apple Intelligence and includes a symbol to denote its use.

New to iOS 18.3 is an evolved version of “Visual intelligence” on iPhone 16 devices. After downloading the update, you can use your camera to add calendar events by scanning a poster, similar to Samsung’s upcoming AI features. Visual intelligence will also provide information about plants and animals, so you can look up a species by pointing your phone’s camera at it.

iOS 18.3 also includes a few other tweaks, like calculator shortcuts and bug fixes. If you’ve got a compatible phone (anything from iPhone XR onwards), the update is available to download now.

Full iOS 18.3 release notes

Per the description listed when installing the update, here are the full patch notes:

Visual intelligence with Camera Control (All iPhone 16 models)

• Add an event to Calendar from a poster or flyer
• Easily identify plants and animals

Notification summaries (All iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)

• Easily manage settings for notification summaries from the Lock Screen
• Updated style for summarised notifications better distinguishes them from other notifications by using italicised text as well as the glyph
• Notification summaries for News & Entertainment apps are temporarily unavailable, and users who opt in will see them again when the feature becomes available

This update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

• Calculator repeats the last mathematical operation when you tap the equals sign again
• Fixes an issue where the keyboard might disappear when initiating a typed Siri request
• Resolves an issue where audio playback continues until the song ends even after closing Apple Music

Time to go and find out if Apple can identify my rescue cat, Billie.

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DeepSeek tops app charts while Nvidia stock tumbles

Billions have been wiped off the stock market after the Chinese-made DeepSeek AI app rocketed to the top of app download charts, with Nvidia heavily impacted.

DeepSeek, an AI assistant in the vein of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, rose to the top of app charts globally, advertised as being more sustainable than artificial intelligence models from Western countries. As a result, Nvidia, one of the biggest beneficiaries of the AI boom, lost almost US$600 billion (AU$957 billion) in market value in a single day of trading.

DeepSeek has overtaken ChatGPT as the most popular app on the App Store. Screenshot: Chris Button.

What is DeepSeek?

Based in Hangzhou, China, DeepSeek is a tech startup specialising in AI, particularly in large language models that are freely available via open source. It recently launched the R1 model, said to rival OpenAI’s o1 model’s performance while requiring lower computational demands.

It’s this last part that has tech investors sitting up and taking notice. Trained using a technique called “large-scale reinforcement learning”, the DeepSeek R1 model reportedly operates at a fraction of the cost of other models, like OpenAI’s o1, which uses “chain-of-thought” processing.

Resource efficiency is why DeepSeek’s sudden surge in popularity has caused shockwaves throughout Wall Street. Companies like Nvidia have invested billions in AI computing infrastructure; now investors are questioning the value when an overseas company proposes comparable performance at far lower costs.

Amidst the investor blowback, a cyberattack reportedly took the Chinese app offline, while its popularity continues to grow. Meanwhile, Nvidia labelled DeepSeek’s technology an “excellent AI advancement”.

Users online have discussed the new AI model’s performance in positive terms compared to OpenAI’s technology. However, as noted by some, including EFTM‘s Trevor Long, quizzing DeepSeek’s chatbot about sensitive topics like Tiananmen Square and Taiwan doesn’t yield a response.

While it’s very early days, there are also hopes that overseas competition can help reduce the cost and environmental impact of AI models in general.

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