The new network promises three times the speed of the existing network, peaking at 14.4Mbps for downloads, Telstra announced today.

The trial, claimed to be a world-first by the company, will begin in rural Victoria this week and will help prepare the Next G network for expected boosts in customer demand for data rich applications and content services like pay TV on mobiles.

Telstra's Next G claims to provide network download speeds averaging 550kbps to 1.5Mbps, and peak network speeds of up to 3.6Mbps.

The Next G core network will be upgraded with the most advanced version of Ericsson's software enabling it to operate at 14.4 Mbps peak network speeds and increased peak network uplink speeds from the current 384 Kbps to 1.8 Mbps.

This 'turbo-charged' HSDPA is known as High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA).