Telstra Galaxy Note 2 'early next year', Optus this week

If you were hoping to buy a Galaxy Note 2 phablet on the Telstra 4G network, it looks like your credit card will need to get through the treacherous Christmas shopping season first.

A recent post on Telstra's Exchange Blog (spotted by a Gizmodo tipster) clearly, and cheerfully, points to the fact that the phone will not launch with the carrier until "early next year". This doesn't appear to be a delay; just the way things are in Telstra land.

The post has received a backdraught of angry responses, many of which refer to the announcement in unflattering terms, with others suggesting this to be one of the reasons for Telstra's falling share prices. A common thread running through all of the responses is the aggrieved plan for customers to take their business elsewhere.

With its 4G long-term evolution (LTE) network, Optus seems to be the obvious choice, and, according to a media spokesperson, the telco is on track to begin delivery of Galaxy Note 2 handsets this week. Optus opened pre-orders for the Note 2 on 15 November, and is expected to ship the deliveries within six to eight working days.

Optus is the only one of the telcos to announce pricing for the new Galaxy phone. There are the usual tiered pricing options available, with an AU$7 handset-repayment fee on an AU$60 per month plan, which includes AU$650 worth of calls, unlimited texts and 1.5GB of data each month.

Vodafone will also be ranging the Note 2. We've requested its release timing for the handset, and we'll update this article once we hear back.