2018 may well be the last year that 4G is a big deal, because at least one local telco plans to lift its game before 2020, readying 5G services across our big nation.
We might complain and argue and get truly frustrated by our fixed line broadband services, but one area Aussies shouldn’t really get all up in arms about is mobile connectivity. Around the world, we’re not doing too badly, and some of our networks are pushing beyond the 1Gbps speeds already.
That’s not bad, but it can still get better, and with the next generation of technology on the way, it won’t be long until we get to find out what that means.
It could even be as early as next year, as Telstra uses Mobile World Congress to outline its plans for that next generation of technology to land in Australia. That new technology is 5G, a mobile technology that is presently being tested and will provide speeds exceeding the high speedswe’re presently seeing from 4G, and the good news is it’s not far away, either.
“5G will help deliver the next industrial revolution, unlocking opportunities across industries and markets, and we want to ensure Australians are among the first in the world to gain access to it,” said Robyn Denholm, Chief Operating Officer of Telstra.
“5G will be a critical building block in economic competitiveness for the nation, so we are planning our network rollout to give as many customers as possible access to 5G technology as soon as possible.”
That “soon as possible” is essentially from next year, with 5G being tested in Queensland, achieving speeds over the 3Gbps mark, and making for some super fast web access, which will open the doors to enhanced video services and so much more.
Before that happens, Telstra will roll out more speed to the 4G network it operates, providing 2Gbps connections to some parts of Australia, though customers should expect less.
However, that does mean that mobile connectivity will be super fast as soon as next year, and it will only improve for Telstra until then.
