At Telstra’s 5G Innovation Centre on the Gold Coast, we have successfully completed a world first end-to-end 5G non-standalone data call on a commercial mobile network working in collaboration with Ericsson and Intel.
This is another important step in taking 5G out of the lab and into a real-world production mobile network environment, consistent with our commitment to lead on 5G as part of our Telstra2022 strategy.
The call brought together the core components required for a real commercial 5G network call, including Telstra’s network, a Telstra SIM and Telstra licensed 3.5GHz commercial spectrum, as well as Ericsson’s commercial 5G NR radio 6488, baseband and packet core for 5G EPC and the Intel® 5G Mobile Trial Platform for the 5G NR UE.
What this means in practical terms is this 5G call is the closest any provider has come to making a true real-world commercial 5G call and marks another 5G first for Telstra.
Achieving our first commercial 5G data call with these key technology partners demonstrates the progress we are making in building 5G readiness in Telstra’s mobile network. In the coming weeks and months we will be accelerating our efforts to continue to lead the market on 5G.
This achievement is the latest in a series of 5G firsts by Telstra and demonstrates the benefits of our investment in next generation technology as part of our Networks for the Future. Previous firsts include 5G trial data call over 26GHz mmWave spectrum, the world’s first 5G-enabled WiFi precinct, Australia’s first 5G car on the road and an Australian first 5G mobile gaming demonstration.
We will continue to work with our global technology partners to conduct 5G tests in real-world environments so we can advance the deployment of 5G as soon as the standards, new spectrum and 5G capable devices are ready. With all of these building blocks in place we will then roll-out commercial 5G capability nationally to capital cities, regional centres and other high demand areas.
We have a long history of world and Australian firsts in mobile technology and we will be at the forefront of the technology once again, just as we did on 4G, 3G and 2G.
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The Author
Andy Penn became the CEO and Managing Director of Telstra, Australia’s largest telecommunications company, on 1 May 2015. At Telstra Andy is leading an ambitious change program transforming Telstra to be positioned to compete in the radically changing technology world of the future with 5G at its core. Andy has had an extensive career spanning 40 years across 3 different industries - telecommunications, financial services and shipping. He joined Telstra in 2012 as Chief Financial Officer. In 2014 he took on the additional responsibilities as Group Executive International. Prior to Telstra, Andy spent 23 years with AXA Asia Pacific Holdings, part of the AXA Group, one of the world’s largest insurance and investment groups. His time at AXA included the roles of Chief Executive Officer 2006-2011, Chief Financial Officer 2000-2002, Chief Executive Asia and Chief Executive Australia and New Zealand. At AXA, Andy was instrumental in building one of the most successful Asian businesses by an Australian company that was sold to its parent in 2011 for more than A$10bn. Outside of work Andy has a deep passion for the visual arts. He is Patron, on behalf of Telstra, of the National and Torres Straights Islanders Arts Awards (NATSIAA) and he paints in his spare time. Andy is also active in supporting community and social causes. He is Life Governor of Very Special Kids and an Ambassador for the Amy Gillet Foundation. He serves on the advisory boards of both The Big Issue Home for Homes and JDRF. In 2018 he was voted by the Financial Times number 8 in the top 50 male leaders globally in their HEREOS champions of women in leadership report.