5G is a big thing right now, and for more than half Australia’s population, it’s actually within reach.
New developments take time to roll out, and some clearly take longer than others. Australia’s National Broadband Network has taken well over a decade to get high-speed internet to the homes of residents across the country, but something potentially faster isn’t fast behind, and only after a few years of work.
This week, Telstra has announced that its 5G network — which has only been in rollout for a few years now — is now within reach of more than 50 percent of Australians, with a plan to have its 5G network covering 75 percent of the national population by the middle of 2022.
A few years into 5G with more devices supporting the technology than ever, Telstra has said it has a good 750,000 5G devices on its network now and growing.
And that means 5G is growing, with more locations switching on every week, and agreements rolling out to bring the technology to more places. While Telstra isn’t the only provider with 5G, now that Vodafone supports 5G on its network in select locations, as does Optus and some of its virtual network operators, Telstra is bringing support for the technology to select venues, including Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, among others.
“Our customers have told us coverage is the most important thing when it comes to 5G so Telstra’s 5G roll out reaching more than half of the Australian population is a huge milestone,” said Channa Seneviratne, Executive for Network Technology Development and Solutions at Telstra.
“Bringing Telstra 5G coverage to more people means they can get more out of their 5G device and really experience what 5G has to offer,” he said.
