Telstra allows iPhone tethering

Telstra has announced that it will allow its customers to tether iPhones. In a software update released over the weekend, the block preventing Telstra iPhones from being tethered was removed.

The carrier update, v5.1, was released on Saturday and announced in technology forums by customers rather than by Telstra itself.

The telco initially blamed Apple for the block, claiming it was on all Telstra iPhones; however, Apple has asserted that each telco has the right to determine their customers' accessibility.

Tethering for the iPhone has been available since the 3.0 update released in June, with competitors Optus and Vodafone allowing tethering shortly after the update. Telstra has offered tethering on a number of other phones.

On a Telstra blog post announcing iPhone tethering, it is recommended that customers also purchase a browsing pack. Data rates start at $5 per month for 5MB and go up to $119 per month for 9GB.