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Virtual Reality unplugged – how 5G will unleash VR

Tech and Innovation

Posted on January 16, 2019

3 min read

Campbell Simpson

by Campbell Simpson

Senior Digital Editor - Telstra

As predicted, two symbols were the talk of CES this year – 5G.

At the biggest consumer technology show in the world, we announced Telstra customers will soon get exclusive access to 5G commercial devices thanks to a series of partnerships with some of the world’s biggest brands.

We also got our first look at some of the inaugural phones and devices that will be powered by this revolutionary mobile technology.

Samsung had a prototype smartphone on display, safely behind a glass case.

And Netgear, which powers our Telstra Netgear Nighthawk M1, unveiled its 5G hotspot.

5G will power so much more than phones and internet hotspots though. One of the other uses is Virtual Reality (VR), with nearly 400 VR exhibitors on show at CES 2019.

Cutting the cord

High-endd VR headsets have had to be connected via cables to a computer, until now.

The Oculus Quest is a wireless all-in-one gaming headset, allowing players to enjoy their game anywhere.

From a tech-spec perspective, it’s not as powerful as its brother, the Oculus Rift, but cutting the cable is considered a major step in releasing VR into the mainstream.

Going wireless of course requires a wireless connection and, as games continue to increase in size, complexity and resolution, fast speeds and low latency will be a must.

VR in the back seat

This would definitely keep the kids entertained on those long road trips.

Audi, Disney and startup Holoride have teamed up to develop an in-car VR game. From the back seat of the moving car, you help Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy shoot asteroids and drones.

The VR experience is intended to visually match what the passengers feel as they ride – e.g. the VR environment will mirror any turns, acceleration or brakes the car makes.

Smart specs

Google had an unsuccessful crack at this a few years ago, but smart glasses could be making a comeback with Vuzix now taking orders for its Blade AR glasses.

It projects a semi-transparent and rectangular screen on one of the lenses to mirror phone notifications and run apps. In the future, these types of glasses could enable facial recognition, send live feeds from their inbuilt cameras or run 3D simulation apps.

All of these types of applications will require the speed, capacity and low latency 5G will deliver.

Tags: 5g, CES, CES 2019, International,

The Author

Campbell Simpson

Campbell Simpson

Senior Digital Editor - Telstra

Campbell is the editor of Telstra Exchange, and is responsible for the site's overall editorial strategy as well as day-to-day publishing. He has worked in Australia's technology media for over a decade at websites like Gizmodo, CNET and PC World, and has a longtime love of tech and gadgets. When he's not writing, Campbell spends his downtime outdoors whenever possible, hiking, camping or mountain biking around New South Wales.

How you can get first access to 5G devices

Network

Posted on January 10, 2019

2 min read

Andrew Penn

by Andrew Penn

CEO - Telstra

I am in Las Vegas for CES, the biggest consumer electronics show in the world, to ensure we are at the forefront of the latest tech for our customers.

5G is a major focus this year and the amount of connected gear on display here is proof our big 5G network rollout and testing is going to deliver major benefits to our customers.

2019 is when the 5G revolution becomes very real and I am excited to announce our customers will soon be at the forefront of 5G device technology, including exclusive access to 5G commercial devices, thanks to a series of partnerships with some of the world’s biggest brands.

Under the partnerships, the devices will be available exclusively through Telstra before any other Australian mobile operator when they are released in the first half of 2019.

Watch this space. These smartphones and devices are coming soon and we will provide further details closer to their release. Once on the market, these 5G-enabled devices will connect to Australia’s first 5G-ready network – our customers’ first opportunity to experience this revolutionary technology.

We are also continuing to hold discussions with other providers and I look forward to providing even more good news for our customers in the near future.

I am also pleased to report we have delivered on our commitment to roll out 200 5G enabled mobile sites across the nation by the end of last year. In fact we did even better, with 207 sites now online, including in every major city and some regional centres.

Telstra has been a world leader in the testing and development of 5G. We continue to work closely with numerous global manufacturing and industry partners to make this revolutionary technology real-world ready and these strategic relationships are now paying off directly for our customers.

Tags: 5g, apps and devices, CES, CES 2019,

The Author

Andrew Penn

Andrew Penn

CEO - Telstra

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.

5G to dominate the world’s biggest tech show: CES 2019

Tech and Innovation

Posted on January 8, 2019

2 min read

Håkan Eriksson

by Håkan Eriksson

Chief Technology Officer - CTO

The world’s biggest annual showcase of next-generation technology and devices has kicked off in Las Vegas and 5G is a major talking point this year.

Now in its 52nd year, CES is expected to attract more than 182,000 visitors and will include over 4,400 exhibitors across more than 250,000sqm of show floor.

We have been attending CES for a number of years to ensure Telstra, and in turn, our customers remain at the forefront of technological innovation and trends. Attending CES 2019 is particularly important.

5G is expected to dominate this year’s CES, for good reason. 2019 is the year when all the talk becomes reality. Telstra now has 5G-enabled sites online in all major Australian cities and some regional centres, and we are ready to connect the first wave of 5G-enabled devices that will hit the market this year, giving Australians their first taste of the capabilities of this revolutionary technology.

As well as smartphones, think smart home, smart sensors, augmented and virtual reality, self-driving cars, eSports and smart cities. For these to be rolled out at scale, they will all require the speed and capacity 5G can deliver.

We also have some more exciting 5G news for our customers which we will share with you over the coming days.

We will also be keeping you updated on what is happening at CES so please take a look at our #CES2019 updates on Instagram and Twitter. For those who are interested in finding out more about CES, you can visit the CES 2019 website.

Tags: 5g, CES, CES 2019,

The Author

Håkan Eriksson

Håkan Eriksson

Chief Technology Officer - CTO

Telstra’s Chief Technology Office inspires, sets direction for, and accelerates Telstra’s journey to being a world class technology company. Håkan is focused on guiding the CTO to establish leading positions on priority technologies, drive value through advanced technology and capabilities, accelerate business and cultural innovation, and drive collaboration across Telstra. Prior to joining Telstra Håkan had a long career at Ericsson, where his key appointments were Group CTO Ericsson and CEO Ericsson Australia and New Zealand. When he’s not working, you can find him with his family and daughter Matilda, exercising in the outdoors, or learning to play the piano.

We’ve enabled 5G in all major Australian cities

Network

Posted on December 18, 2018

2 min read

Channa Seneviratne

by Channa Seneviratne

Executive, Network Engineering - Telstra

We’ve switched on 5G for the first time at sites in Melbourne and Sydney, with early access to the 3.6GHz spectrum we invested in at auction now giving us 5G-enabled sites in all major cities across the country.

We’re the first mobile provider to achieve this milestone in Australia, and this also means we’re on track to reach our target of 200 5G-enabled mobile base station sites across the country by the end of this calendar year. When commercial 5G devices become available to buy in 2019, our mobile network will be ready to connect them.

As the first operator to acquire an ‘early access’ licence from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for the $386m of 3.6GHz spectrum we purchased last week, we have turned on our first 5G sites in Sydney and Melbourne.

In Sydney, we have upgraded our Customer Insight Centre at 400 George St with 5G technology as well as a mobile base station near Sydney Airport. In Melbourne the Telstra Labs at 242 Exhibition St has also been enhanced with 5G. A 5G mobile base station near Melbourne Airport will also come online later this week.

We started switching on 5G technology at sites throughout the country in August – making Telstra’s mobile network the first to be 5G ready, as well as the largest and fastest*. We have now enabled 5G at 187 mobile base stations, with 13 more planned before the end of the year.

We’ll also continue to expand our 5G coverage to more cities, regional centres and high traffic areas in 2019 and beyond. Our current 5G upgrades are also expected to help deliver world leading 4G speeds, further improving the network experience for our customers here and now.

As part of our commitment to leading on 5G, we’ve hit some important milestones along the way including the first 5G call, the first 5G to 5G video call, the first live 5G mobile connection and recently our first 5G customer connection. Our 5G rollout is the culmination of an around $8 billion investment over the five years to June 30 2019 to enhance the capacity, capability and reach of our mobile network.

* All references to Australia’s fastest network are based on national average combined 3G/4G mobile speeds.

Tags: 5g,

The Author

Channa Seneviratne

Channa Seneviratne

Executive, Network Engineering - Telstra

Channa has over 25 years of experience in Telecommunications networks having worked in both Operations and Engineering across both fixed and wireless technologies. During his time in Telstra, Channa has played key roles in the introduction and operation of Telstra’s 2G (GSM & CDMA), 3G and now 4G networks. Away from work Channa enjoys travel, sport, wildlife photography and spending time with his wife and two young daughters.

We’ve launched our first 5G customer connection

Network

Posted on December 11, 2018

4 min read

Channa Seneviratne

by Channa Seneviratne

Executive, Network Engineering - Telstra


In another milestone on our 5G roadmap, we’ve connected a customer with a commercial 5G device on our 5G technology for the first time.

Our first customer using a 5G device is FKG Group in Toowoomba, a commercial construction and civil engineering company that has divisions specialising in technology innovation including data centres.

FKG will use the first iteration of the HTC 5G Hub mobile broadband hotspot to test the device’s connectivity to our mobile network that we have enabled 5G on in parts of the area.

Toowoomba is a regional centre with a major local industry centred around agriculture, contributing to its position as one of the fastest growing cities in Australia. The over 4,000 farms in the area are part of an agriculture sector producing $4 billion in annual value, and all can benefit from the improved connectivity and transformative technologies that 5G will bring.

Earlier this year, we announced a partnership with the National Farmers Federation to power the future of farmers around Australia, including through the opportunities enabled by 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT). The agriculture industry already uses IoT to track herds of livestock and monitor crops across vast areas, and 5G will make it possible to massively scale up these efforts to improve water usage and reduce waste using smart sensors on our mobile network.

Our early testing with FKG will focus on their experience as a customer, with extensive familiarisation and testing of the device’s features and connectivity. We’ll also be demonstrating the real world improvements to our 4G service that come along with our 5G site upgrades, delivering faster speeds and more capacity across our network.

We’re committed to getting 5G devices into our customers’ hands as early as possible – part of our mission to lead on 5G, and to test in real world environments across the country. We are similarly committed to rolling out 5G across both metropolitan and regional areas, bringing the latest technology to our customers in the bush as well as in Australia’s capital cities.

While Telstra’s network is 5G ready in parts of Toowoomba, the user experience benefits of 5G are not expected to become available until the first half of 2019.

Our 5G upgrades also give a boost to 4G technology, allowing for faster speeds for customers with existing 4G devices.

As the first wave of 5G devices become available at scale, we will offer them to customers. We expect this will happen in the first half of 2019, but this limited launch now is a vital step in validating our network and processes to accommodate the new technology.

In the last 12 months, we have pioneered in 5G with a string of Australian and world firsts including the first 5G call, the first 5G to 5G video call, the first live 5G connection with a commercial chipset and a string of 5G mobile base station upgrades across both cities and regional areas.

Grant Statton, CEO of FKG’s Digital Innovation and Energy Division, is looking forward to the potential that the new technology enables. “It’s fantastic working with Telstra and having the opportunity to test one of the first 5G devices in the country. Being at the forefront of this advanced technology will greatly assist FKG and its newly developed Aatlis Innovation Precinct to explore IoT use cases and pilot innovative solutions in the agriculture and food value chain.”

We have been switching on 5G and upgrading mobile base station sites around the country since August of this year, making our mobile network the first in the country to be 5G ready. Toowoomba was the first regional centre to be upgraded, and now has 22 5G-enabled sites in the area where FKG is located.

Around the country, we have enabled 130 sites with 5G technology, and are on track to deliver 200 sites before the end of the year that are 5G ready and that also deliver world leading 4G speeds on Australia’s largest and fastest* mobile network.

* All references to Australia’s fastest network are based on national average combined 3G/4G mobile speeds.

Tags: 5g, regional,

The Author

Channa Seneviratne

Channa Seneviratne

Executive, Network Engineering - Telstra

Channa has over 25 years of experience in Telecommunications networks having worked in both Operations and Engineering across both fixed and wireless technologies. During his time in Telstra, Channa has played key roles in the introduction and operation of Telstra’s 2G (GSM & CDMA), 3G and now 4G networks. Away from work Channa enjoys travel, sport, wildlife photography and spending time with his wife and two young daughters.