Optus has formed a partnership with wireless Internet group Personal Broadband Australia to provide mobile broadband services to corporate customers. The telco is also in discussions with Unwired Australia.

The deal with Personal Broadband Australia allows Optus to provide wireless broadband services to 70 percent of Australian businesses using iBurst.

Optus Business acting managing director John Simon said iBurst supplemented Optus" existing WiFi and 2.5G capability and would complement future 3G mobile offerings.

The deal will enable businesses to access the Internet or privately connect to centrally held information from a remote location.

Personal Broadband Australia chief executive Jim Cooney said the iBurst solution enabled secure high-speed wireless access to both virtual private networks and the Internet.

"IBurst currently operates at speeds of up to one megabyte per second, with two megabytes per second scheduled for later this year," Cooney said. Personal Broadband has current coverage in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast and the company also owns spectrum in Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Darwin.

Rival wireless operator Unwired Australia has also confirmed it is in negotiations with Optus to roll out wireless broadband Internet access across Australia.

In a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange, Unwired said the negotiations involved a national roll out of wireless broadband using Unwired"s network and product and Optus infrastructure.