Where Is 5G Available in Australia? (Updated for 2022) GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Internet, Networking, & Security > The 5G Connection Corner
Where Is 5G Available in Australia? (Updated for 2022)
Mobile and at-home 5G is available
By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on January 25, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email The 5G Connection Corner Browsers Cloud Services Error Messages Family Tech Home Networking 5G Antivirus Around the Web Australian 5G networks are popping up, but not everyone has access just yet. This isn't unique to Australia; several countries have 5G, but coverage is still a fraction of that provided by 4G. If you're not familiar, 5G is the next upgrade to mobile networks following 4G. It's many times faster than 4G and opens up lots of new opportunities like smart cities and farms, and untethered AR and VR experiences. Whether you're waiting for 5G in Australia or elsewhere, you can stay current with how this new tech is unfolding around the world with daily updates: 5G: The Latest News & Updates. 5G in Australia
Photo by Joey Csunyo on Unsplash There are three big names to watch: Optus, Telstra, and Vodafone. The service that's available to you depends on where you live, whether the carrier has 5G-compatible phones yet, and if you want mobile service or just 5G internet at home. 5G Challenges: Why It Isn't Rolling Out Faster Optus
One provider is Optus, the country's second-biggest telecom company. In November 2019, they began offering both a mobile 5G solution and fixed wireless access (FWA) 5G. From the launch date, there were over 290 5G sites in Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, NSW, Victoria, and Queensland. Optus turned on their Standalone 5G network for limited trial in late 2021. You can order 5G Home Broadband with a 50 Mbps Satisfaction Guarantee. One of the plans maxes out at 100 Mbps, but the other one doesn't, and is said to offer average download speeds of over 200 Mbps. See their 5G phones page for an updated listing of their compatible smartphones. Their coverage map details where you can get 5G (mobile and home service). A benchmarking report shows average download speeds over 350 Mbps. Telstra
Before 2019, Telstra already had over 200 5G-enabled mobile sites, including not only every single major city in Australia but also some less popular locations. Of the thousands of sites now in operation, over 3,000 suburbs and over 200 cities and towns have coverage, which amounts to over 75% of the population, including Queensland, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Melbourne, Tasmania, Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart, Launceston, and Toowoomba. The goal is to reach 95% of the population by mid-2025. See all of their 5G smartphone options. There are multiple plans you can choose from that work with one of those devices, from a 40 GB plan to one that supports 180 GB. The first Telstra 5G customer was FKG Group in Toowoomba through the use of the HTC 5G Hub. The company launched a 5G home service in late 2020. In early 2021, they doubled the included monthly data limit from 500 GB to 1 TB. In November 2021, 5G Home & Business Internet launched, with download speeds of up to 600 Mbps. Vodafone
In 2019, Vodafone partnered with Nokia to provide Vodafone Hutchison Australia customers with 5G; services started in 2020. The first areas 5G rolled out to included Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Central Coast, and Geelong. Australian MVNO Networks
If you get service from a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), you might have to wait even longer for 5G because those operators buy their access from other telecom companies, a process which might not meet up with the parent company's 5G timetable. For example, Woolworths Mobile, Boost Mobile, Belong, and ALDImobile are on the Telstra network; Hello Mobile, KISA Phone, and Kogan Mobile with Vodafone; and amaysim, iPrimus, and Exetel use the Optus mobile network. 6G: What It Is & When to Expect It Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire 5G Availability Around the World Where Is 5G Available in the UK? (Updated for 2022) Where Is 5G Available in the US? (Updated for 2022) Where Is 5G Available in Canada? (Updated for 2022) T-Mobile 5G: When & Where You Can Get It How Are 4G and 5G Different? 5G: The Latest News & Updates (October 2022) Verizon 5G: When & Where You Can Get It 5G Speed: How to Understand the Numbers 5G Internet: The High-Speed Replacement for Cable? 6G: What It Is & When to Expect It Where Is 5G Available in South Korea? (Updated for 2022) 5G Cell Towers: Why You See Them and How They Work 5G: Everything You Need to Know Where Is 5G Available in China? (Updated for 2022) The 7 Best Family Cell Phone Plans of 2022 Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies