Telstra, one of the biggest names in telecommunications in Australia recently teamed up with Samsung Electronics, a Korean-based firm in order to launch the first 4G tablet in Australia.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 4G is now available in Telstra stores today and it is the country's first 4G-capable tablet. This is the third gadget that would utilize Telstra's 4G network which allows users to utilize the mobile web up to five times faster as compared to other models. According to Telstra, subscribers will be provided with download speed of 2-40 Mbps and upload speed of 1-10 Mbps as long as they are located in a 4G coverage zone.

Warwick Bray, the executive director of Telstra Mobile, remarked about this new product offering from the company stating that "In 4G coverage areas the Galaxy Tab 8.9 4G can offer speeds typically reserved for the office which will make it hugely popular with businesses too. Customers will be able to access email, cloud-hosted applications and documents without the need for a bulky laptop and it's perfect for sharing multimedia content on client visits."

Tyler McGee, Samsung's vice president of telecommunications, also made a comment about their partnership with Telstra stating that "Samsung is delighted to partner with Telstra to offer consumers Australia's first 4G tablet device. We know speed is increasingly important to Australians as is portability and a sleek, stylish form factor, both of which the Galaxy Tab 8.9 4G offers in spades."

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 4G is one of the top tablets in the market to date. It has an 8.9-inch screen with a 1280x800 resolution, weight of 470 grams, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and 2 cameras (front camera with 3Mp and rear camera with 2MP). As for the tablet's OS, it is currently utilizing Android 3.2 Gingerbread but it would soon be upgraded to Android 4.0 or Android Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). It is available in 16GB for AU$720 and 32GB for AU$840.

According to Telstra, the 16GB model is already available in stores starting today while the 32GB will be available "shortly". The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 4G is also available both in plans and prepaid options. The starting rate for plans is at AU$29 for 1GB of data and the maximum plan limit is AU$89 for 15GB of data. The plan also requires a lock-down period of 24 months.

Analyst firm Telsyte revealed in their report that the tablet market in Australia is very lucrative and it is expected to grow rapidly in the coming months. The company's report also states that a total of 1.4 million tablets were sold in Australia last year and in the year 2012, it is expected that it would be doubled which means 2 million tablets sold. Telstra's timely release of Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 4G would mean an added boost in the tablet market.