Self-confessed geek Mauricio Freitas last week became one of the first people outside Vodafone to put the telco's souped-up 3G mobile broadband network through its paces.

The high-speed network won't be unveiled till tomorrow but Mr Frietas, who runs the website Geekzone, logged on early using a Sierra Wireless HSDPA data card that he imported from Britain.

Mr Freitas found the network connected at speeds of 1.4 megabits per second in Johnsonville and 1.1Mbps in the central city, but he expects users will generally experience download speeds of 700-800 kilobits per second once more people start to log on.

That should be a bit faster than Telecom's rival T3G network, he says, till Telecom upgrades to the Revision A standard later this year and takes a speed lead again.

Mr Freitas believes Vodafone's service could become a real competitor to fixed-line broadband and a tough rival for fledging wireless network operator Woosh, given Woosh's limited geographical coverage.

Vodafone is expected to unveil new wireless broadband plans with increased data caps tomorrow. It currently charges $49 a month for a gigabyte of data downloaded over its 3G network.

ps - MAURICIO - how much did the card cost from britain including shipment?