Telstra has announced it will expand its 4G coverage to provide service to 85 per cent of the population by Christmas this year, with an increased focus on regional coverage.

As its competitors try to catch Telstra’s 4G roll-out so far, their head start is set to be extended. Telstra claims to have made good on its promise from 2012 to expand its network to 66 per cent of the Australian population, and has pledged to reach up to 85 per cent by the end of the year.

The upgrade program will cover works to 1500 base-stations around Australia and may be sorely needed. Reports say the 4G network is currently so heavily encumbered by traffic that congestion is starting to become a real concern. Statistics from last month showed 2.1 million active 4G users, distributed between the following devices; 1.4 million handsets, 150,000 tablets, 370,000 dongles and 320,000 hotspots.

A map of Telstra’s current network availability can be viewed on their website.