Telstra launches the Ultimate Gateway, minus 4G support

Telstra has launched its latest wireless gateway for business customers, but says it doesn’t support the company’s new 4G network. Instead the device – created in partnership with NetComm Australia – supports the telco’s high speed Dual Channel HSPA+ network that is available in 60% of Australia but only offers speeds of up to 20Mbps compared to Telstra’s 4G network speeds of up to 40Mbps in capital cities. That said, the gateway, which allows businesses to create a Wi-Fi hotspot using the b, g or n standards, is the fastest sold by the company yet, offering capabilities to connect up to 16 wireless and four wired clients to the Internet over Telstra’s 3G network. “The Ultimate Gateway is the fastest mobile gateway device in Australia and allows businesses to connect teams or multiple Wi-Fi-enabled devices wherever there is Next G network coverage and power,” Anthea Roberts, Director of Telstra Mobile Broadband said in a statement. “We’ve worked to make the set up of this portable device as straightforward as possible and in minutes, customers can connect up to 16 wireless and four wired devices to the net.” The Ultimate Gateway is a step up from the Turbo Gateway that Telstra launched earlier this year — the Ultimate Gateway has double the number of Ethernet ports (4) and USB 2.0 ports (2). The Turbo too is made in partnership with Netcomm, but only offers customers speeds of up to 3Mbps. It’s also $60 cheaper than the new Ultimate Gateway when purchased outright. The Ultimate Gateway can be purchased in full for $399, or for $89 per month on the company’s Mobile Broadband Standard Plan over 24 months (includes 15GB of data per month) and is available now.