LG confirms Australian availability for G2 smartphone
The G2 will be available exclusively to Optus when it arrives in November, and will work on Optus' new TDD-LTE 4G network.
Launched overnight in New York, LG's new flagship G2 will arrive in Australia in Q4 this year — believed to be around November, according to an LG press release.
This is a marked change in strategy for LG, which has had previous flagship "superphones" such as the Optimus G launching considerably later in Australia than the rest of the world, or — in the case of the Optimus G Pro — not arrive at all.
LG will partner with Optus initially, with the dual-mode G2 working on both the traditional frequency-division duplex long-term evolution (FDD-LTE) network and the new time-division duplex LTE (TDD-LTE) networks that Optus has rolled out in Canberra.
In a media release, Rohan Ganeson, managing director of Sales at Optus, said:
We're pleased to be bringing the LG G2 to Australia exclusively on Optus' superfast 4G network with dual TDD and FDD-LTE technology. When the G2 hits Optus stores, scheduled for November, it will open the door to greater 4G capacity for data-hungry Australians as the Optus TD-LTE network rolls out. Meaning more downloads, better browsing and faster streaming.
CNET Australia had previously reported on rumours that suggested the G2 could hit local retailers in October.
Pricing and plans for the G2 on Optus post-paid will be revealed closer to launch, although LG will sell the handset in select retailers for an outright price of AU$699.