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
Andrew Penn became Chief Executive Officer on 1 May, 2015 after serving as Telstra's Chief Financial Officer and Group Executive International. Andrew is an experienced senior executive with a career spanning more than 30 years. Prior to joining Telstra, Andrew was with AXA Asia Pacific for 20 years where he held a number of positions including Group Chief Executive (2006-2011), Chief Executive Officer for Australia and New Zealand, Group Chief Financial Officer, Chief Executive for Asia and spent time based in Australia, Hong Kong, Thailand and Indonesia. Under Andrew’s leadership AXA built a successful Asian platform, which was sold to its parent company in 2011 for $10.4bn. In addition to his business activities, Andrew has contributed widely to not-for-profit and community organisations. He is Life Governor and Foundation Board member of Very Special Kids. He is also a member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Advisory Council, The Big Issue Advisory Group, and an Amy Gillet Foundation Ambassador.