Vodafone New Zealand has launched 4G LTE Network in 1800MHz frequency band. Vodafone's LTE network is live now in parts of Auckland and the network will expand to more suburbs in coming weeks.  LTE will be available in parts of Christchurch in May, and parts of Wellington in August/September 2013.

Vodafone’s LTE network build is being carried out in partnership with Nokia Siemens Networks.

Operator has made six LTE-capable devices available at launch – including iPhone 5, Windows Phone 8X by HTC and Samsung GALAXY Note II 4G variant.  By the middle of the year, Vodafone plans to have more than 12 4G capable devices on offer.

Operator is offering LTE with a SIM only plan for $40/month which includes 500MB of data with a 4G upgrade. For those looking for even more data, a 4G SIM only Smart plan for $65/month has 1.25GB of data with the 4G upgrade.  It's Smart Data $120 plans and above, with 2GB of data, have 4G included at no additional charge.