In addition to ten new coverage areas which will be able to access Next G by the end of next week, Telstra is adding a further 40 3G locations over the next quarter in response to consumer and business feedback.

The Next G network is currently available to 98.9 per cent of the population, which is equivalent to the now-outdated CDMA network, which will be officially phased-out on 28 January.

With 50 new locations to be added in the next three months, the service will be the largest 3G mobile network in the country, says Telstra.

Telstra's wireless executive director, Mike Wright, said Telstra will soon be able to offer the increased 3G service as it will no longer be bogged down with the CDMA offering.

"The planned closure of the CDMA network in 12 days means we will have one national 3G mobile network to support and it already covers more than 98.9 per cent of the population," he said.

"As with any mobile network, coverage on the Next G network depends on where a person is, what particular handset that person is using and whether that handset has an external antenna attached."

Telstra's Next G network offers mobile content and applications such as video calling, BigPond TV, 33 channels on Mobile Foxtel from Telstra, Sensis search services, plus news, weather and sports reports.