More

    Telstra has more than 750,000 devices on their 5G network. 50% of homes can now get 5G, 75% by June 30

    When it comes to internet connectivity, we all want faster speeds. One major development in the industry to deliver that is 5G, but with a relatively small footprint, many didn’t experience it in 2020.

    It seems Telstra spent their year wisely, continuing the deployment of 5G across Australia, now confirming the number of 5G sites now totaling more than 2,650.

    Telstra says this coverage extends to more than 100 cities and towns, across more than 2,000 suburbs in Australia. If you’d like to check if that includes your house, then head to Telstra’s 5G coverage map.

    In terms of nation-wide coverage, more than 50% of our population now have the ability to connect to 5G from their homes. What’s crazy is that Telstra are not stopping there, they have bold ambitions to hit 75% of the population by the middle of the year. That means if you don’t have it now, it’s less than 6 months and its very likely that you will.

    Obviously people are returning to work and that may mean you leave the 5G area, or travel into one, but if you have 5G at work and home, you’re living the dream.

    While many 5G plans still cost you $5-$10pm more than 4G plans, if you have a new 5G compatible phone, you should definitely consider it. The experience of running on 5G is considerably different, with connected apps (almost all are), just run so much faster. Browsing through YouTube is lightning, as is gaming online, helped by the faster speeds, but importantly lower latency. This means real-time communication like video conferencing is really viable and comparable to a wired connection for the first time.

    Telstra predicts that when 5G reaches its peak it could be 10x faster than the current 5G speeds enabling a download of a HD movie in around a second.

    At CES, Telstra continued to see 5G front and centre in many of the presentations and product announcements covering phones, cars and smart cities with more to come as the event continues.

    Also from CES, our friends at Verizon laid out a vision of additional sporting stadiums and entertainment theatres with 5G for a more immersive spectator experience, they also plan to work with the Smithsonian and Metropolitan Museum of Art to create digital experiences using AR, digital scanning, and other technologies.

    Telstra too is bringing 5G connectivity to sport with the recently announced new AFL deal which will see AFL-owned Marvel Stadium receive network and technology infrastructure upgrades including installing 5G connectivity, with the ambition of making it one of the world’s most advanced stadium and entertainment precincts.

    Jason Cartwright
    Jason Cartwrighthttps://techau.com.au/author/jason/
    Creator of techAU, Jason has spent the dozen+ years covering technology in Australia and around the world. Bringing a background in multimedia and passion for technology to the job, Cartwright delivers detailed product reviews, event coverage and industry news on a daily basis. Disclaimer: Tesla Shareholder from 20/01/2021

    Leave a Reply

    Ads

    Latest posts

    Reviews

    Related articles

    techAU