Telstra has informed shareholders at a recent meeting that it plans to have approximately 200 live 5G sites across Australia by the end of this calendar year.
Andy Penn, Telstra’s CEO, said at the meeting:
“In April, we trialled Australia’s first 5G connected car. We are also already rolling out 5G technology on our network and have more than 200 5G sites planned to be live around Australia by the end of this calendar year.”
When those sites become operational, consumer 5G-capable flagship smartphones from several major manufacturers may still be limited. Recent flagships from Huawei, Apple, and Google launched without widespread 5G support.
Penn added:
“While commercial devices for 5G are not yet widely available, our 5G readiness program allows us to trial and test them as soon as manufacturers release compatible models.
As I mentioned in my opening, it is not just 5G on its own — 5G is arriving at a time when many other technologies are scaling up.”
Telstra expects to move to a full commercial 5G deployment in the 2019–20 financial year, once 5G smartphones become more widely available to consumers.
Among the other technologies arriving at scale that Penn highlighted is the Internet of Things (IoT). In September, reports noted that Telstra partnered with Ericsson to set a record for NB‑IoT range.
That record builds on Telstra’s existing leadership in Australia for NB‑IoT, where it has been the only local provider — and one of the early global adopters — to offer both NB‑IoT and Cat M1 technologies.
Interested in industry discussions and real-world use cases? Consider attending relevant technology expos and conferences that bring together leaders in IoT, blockchain, AI, big data, cybersecurity, and cloud technologies to learn about deployments, roadmaps, and practical applications.