You may have read that Telstra is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in new spectrum for 5G. But what does this all mean?

The Australian Communication and Media Authority (or ACMA) today announced the results of its 26 GHz mobile spectrum auction, including that Telstra has secured 1000MHz of this spectrum to help us make our 5G network stronger and faster.

We’re spending around $277 million for our slice of this new mmWave spectrum to be used on the next phase of our 5G network which will deliver even faster speeds and much greater capacity. Much like there was with 4G, reaching the full potential with 5G involves rolling out the network in multiple phases. Initially, we’ve focused on coverage, launching 5G to as many people as possible as fast as possible, with our 5G network already reaching almost two thirds of Australians and will reach 75% by the end of June. But this is just the start of the journey and with the addition of mmWave spectrum to our 5G you’ll really start to see its full potential.

What is mmWave and why do we need it?

Each year we see data usage across our mobile network increase by an average of 40%. With more devices and more things that use more data, like 4K video streaming and virtual reality, we need more bandwidth so that you can still video chat to mum at a packed New Year’s event without a hitch.

mmWave – pronounced as “millimetre wave” – is a short-range, high-frequency and very high capacity spectrum band that really makes the most of what 5G can do.

It got its catchy name from the type of frequency it uses – which is what your phone uses to talk to mobile base stations to make calls, send texts and keep your data running fast and smooth. mmWave’s higher frequency means it can offer a lot of capacity and bandwidth, however it can only broadcast a few hundred metres. This makes it best suited to areas where there are lots of people in close proximity consuming data at a rate that can sometimes strain a network. This means places like shopping centres, crowded inner-city train stations and even stadiums could all benefit from the capabilities of mmWave.

There’s a whole lot more to mmWave and if you find all this techy stuff interesting, then you’ll also like this deeper dive piece we wrote to explain it further.

What will the new spectrum mean?

We mention capacity, because this is where our new 1000 MHz of spectrum comes in. This is more than 10x our existing dedicated 5G spectrum bandwidth. Having access to more spectrum creates more space on our network for mobile traffic, which means more data can flow through smoothly to more customers. The more spectrum you have, the more capacity for data your network has too.

Think of having more spectrum like being stuck in traffic in peak hour on the way to work and then having an extra 10 lanes added, allowing more cars to join the highway and travel faster. Having more spectrum for mmWave will let more 5G phones or 5G home broadband connections on the network to simultaneously download at higher speeds than ever on our network.

Having additional 5G spectrum also means that in the future our 5G home broadband service will be available to more customers in more places so you can binge the latest episode of The Mandalorian in 4K; or have multiple people at home on HD calls, without degrading quality.

For certain areas where the nbn might not be delivering a great experience, we’re really excited about the possibilities this opens to give our customers a fast and reliable home internet connection.

If you want to look even further into the future, mmWave will become central to things such as driverless cars or even some crazy ideas like watching the footy at the MCG with augmented reality glasses that can overlay all the stats and information you might be interested in. It opens up a whole new world for groundbreaking technology that is only going to boom and improve our lives going forward.

When will mmWave launch on Telstra?

While the licenses won’t come into effect until around the middle of the year, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has agreed to early access licensing, which will allow us to use the spectrum on our network even sooner.

However, mmWave is something we’ve been preparing for and been testing for a while now. This real-world testing has helped us understand how the technology works and interacts with the environment and has also assisted in the development of the standards that device manufacturers use to build and deploy their future mmWave capable products.

We’re working to bring more mmWave-capable devices to our customers this calendar year, adding to our first mmWave-capable device – the Telstra 5G WiFi Pro – which launched in May 2020.

Telstra has been leading the way in 5G for a long time, and our work to date means we’ll already be on the front foot when we’re able to access this spectrum and as devices become available. Our commitment to bring the latest mobile technology and its benefits to more Australians is stronger than ever and we can’t wait for you to experience this next evolution of our 5G technology.

We are always looking for ways to bring 5G to life in more places, and to show off what it is truly capable of. This is why we are teaming up with Augmented Reality (AR) gaming developer, Niantic, to bring a new multiplayer game to Australia.

Niantic – creator of globally popular AR games like Pokémon Go, Ingress and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite – is today debuting a new AR experience called Codename: Urban Legends to show off large-scale multiplayer on a superfast 5G networks like ours.

Codename: Urban Legends is a new immersive multiplayer game demo that sees you and your team explore the world and battle against foes.

If you ever played Pokémon Go, you will know that having the right network is key to enjoying a smooth gaming experience. And when you combine this with a multiplayer experience, it is crucial you are playing on a high capacity, high-speed network like our 5G one to ensure you get a great experience.

This is why Niantic teamed up with us exclusively in Australia: Our 5G technology makes us the natural choice. We will look drive further technology like mmWave, network slicing, enhanced mobile broadband and edge compute to bring Australian gamers an ultra-low latency, super-fast experience in more places than our competitors.

We are on track to cover 75% of Australia’s population with 5G coverage by the end of June and have no doubt this is another reason why Niantic asked us to join its Alliance. Our technology leadership helps drive an immersive real-world multiplayer AR experience that truly shows off the potential of 5G.

As part of this Codename: Urban Legends announcement, we are excited to also join Niantic’s Planet-Scale AR Alliance alongside some of the global telco leaders to work on future AR projects together.

Gaming is massive in Australia and we know AR experiences will be popular among both casual and dedicated gamers, just like Niantic’s past entertainment experiences, especially when played on Australia’s largest and best 5G.

So you want an incredible 5G smartphone but don’t want to pay top dollar? We get it! Overnight, Samsung announced a new range of A Series smartphones, with unreal specs that will leave more cash in your wallet.

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G

The A52 looks the absolute goods, and has the features to match.

With a massive 6.5-inch FHD Super AMOLED display, your content absolutely sings. And with a super fast 90Hz refresh rate and a notchless Infinity-0 display and Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, nothing is getting between you and your content. That awesome display also hides the in-screen fingerprint reader so you can keep your stuff safe from prying eyes.

Your pics will look unreal thanks to the four rear-facing cameras: a 64-megapixel Main lens with Optical Image Stabilisation for smooth videos and stills; an 12-megapixel Ultra Wide lens to capture the whole scene; a 5-megapixel Macro lens for all the up-close details, and a 5-megapixel Depth lens for dramatic focus effects.

For all your selfies, you’re set with a 32-megapixel front-facing camera. And speaking of selfies, the A52 comes packed with built-in Snapchat AR lenses to make the camera’s Fun Mode even more fun.

If you wake up and realise your phone wasn’t charging overnight, you’re set: the Galaxy A52 comes with a 4500mAh battery with a two-day battery life to get you through¹.

You get 128GB of onboard storage for all your stuff, and if that isn’t enough for you, it takes a microSD card to boost your storage up to a whopping 1TB! And so it can keep up with your active lifestyle on the go, it’s packing IP67 water and dust resistance².

And of course, it’s on our unreal 5G network with fast data speeds in more places than anyone else. 5G isn’t just for expensive flagships. In fact, the Galaxy A52 comes in at great value at just $648.

Samsung Galaxy A32 5G

For those looking for everything you need and nothing you don’t, the Galaxy A32 5G has what you need. Coming in at just $480, it has loads of bang for your buck.

It still offers a 6.5-inch display, 128GB of storage (expandable up to 1TB), and a massive 5000mAh battery3 to keep you going and going.

There’s also still a quad-rear camera: a 48-megapixel Main lens; 8-megapixel Ultra Wide lens; 5-megapixel Depth lens, and the 2-megapixel Depth lens. The selfies are easily taken care of with a 13-megapixel camera.

And you’re still covered by our amazing 5G network!

Our offers and pricing

We’re excited to carry the new Samsung Galaxy A Series handsets on our amazing network.

We’ll be stocking:

You’ll be able to purchase the devices from 8am AEST on 9 April 2021. The Galaxy A32 will be available online only, and the Galaxy A52 5G will be available both online and in-store

The early bird gets the worm, and with the A Series devices, early birds who purchase between 9 April and 23 April 2021 will snag themselves a free pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds Live (white), normally valued at $319 RRP.

And, if you find a better deal on your Samsung Galaxy A Series device, let us know within 7 days and we’ll credit the difference back to your bill. That’s our 7-Day Price Match at work! Find out more about Price Match on Telstra.com.

Things you need to know

<sub>1. Battery capacity value of a ‘typical’ user. Rated (i.e. minimum) battery capacity value is 4370mAh. Actual battery capacity value may vary. See user manual for instructions on optimum battery life.
2. IP67 rated for submersion in up to 1 metre of fresh water for up to 30 minutes. Please refer to user manual for further information including how to properly care for your device.
3. Battery capacity value of a ‘typical’ user. Rated (i.e. minimum) battery capacity value is 4860mAh. Actual battery capacity value may vary. See user manual for instructions on optimum battery life.</sub>

Not all 5G is created equal. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make it all work great in more places. We’ve been leading the way in 5G for some time, and a new test of Australia’s 5G highlights our ongoing leadership on 5G coverage and performance in all 9 major and regional Australian cities included in the test.

We’ve been sharing some great results from the network surveys conducted by umlaut recently. umlaut conducts an ongoing, rigorous series of real-world exercises over several months to put each network in the country through its paces.

All this data points to a clear answer: we lead in 5G coverage by a country mile, as well as having faster average and maximum 5G speeds in more places.

When it comes to 5G coverage, we’re a long, long way ahead of our competitors. We’ve just switched on our 3000th 5G site – that’s nearly three times more 5G sites than our closest rival – and this report makes it clear that when it comes to 5G, coverage matters. We are the leaders in 5G and we’re investing more to bring 5G to more Australians.

umlaut found that we have more 5G availability than any other carrier in each of the nine cities surveyed, with availability being the percentage of time spent in 5G coverage along the 5000 kilometres of road surveyed. The results show we’re the largest provider of 5G coverage, and the only provider in cities such as Hobart and the regional city of Toowoomba.

Using a Samsung S20+ 5G in this most recent audit, umlaut also showed that in eight of the nine locations tested, our average and maximum 5G network throughput was higher than other carriers including in Sydney and Melbourne – meaning that as tested, our average and maximum 5G speeds are higher than our competitors across the board in the vast majority of locations included.

In addition to these drive survey results for the nine cities, umlaut also included results on 5G coverage and performance for all of Australia using their own app-based crowd-sourced data, with these results reinforcing our leadership on 5G coverage and speeds as seen in the drive survey results.

We’re incredibly proud that all the work our team are putting into Telstra 5G is paying off in the real world. We’re ahead where it counts, and we reach places where our competitors can’t.

Our 5G coverage now reaches over half of the Australian population. We’re working to grow our 5G footprint further to cover 75 per cent of the Australian population by June this year, and we’re already well on our way to that goal.

To find out where 5G is going to land near you if it hasn’t already, check out our new Mobile Coverage Maps. They’ll show you not only where 5G is right now, but where it’s being built in the coming months.

We’re on a roll with 5G, with more places covered now than ever. This year’s Consumer Electronics Show was loaded with incredible new gear powered by 5G.

New fast flagship smartphones

Amid the flurry of news at CES, Samsung announced its incredible new flagship smartphone series: the Galaxy S21.

The next-gen Galaxy range consists of three devices, all with 5G connectivity, beautiful screens, incredible cameras and monster specs.

The top-of-the-line Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G also features support for the excellent Samsung S Pen, so you can be even more productive on the go.

To check out the full range, check out our first-look on Telstra Exchange.

5G smartphones for less

Not all 5G phones have to be expensive flagships, however. At CES this year, chipmaker Qualcomm announced its new family of Snapdragon 480 processors.

The Snapdragon 480 family has the X51 modem built right in, which means it’s a perfect system on a chip (SoC) for the next generation of 5G devices. And most importantly, it’s a cheaper piece of hardware.

That means you can expect to see 5G come to even more affordable smartphones in the next 12 months and beyond.

Faster work on the go

Laptops have been beefing up their batteries and screens for years to become brilliant mobile productivity sidekicks. Now with the addition of 5G, they’re even better.

A number of manufacturers have announced new, razor-thin and incredibly powerful 5G-enabled laptops joining the range in the near future.

Lenovo’s classic ThinkPad X1 lineup is now blessed with the speed you need, with the X1 Titanium Yoga now coming in a 5G flavour. At just over a kilogram in weight and sporting a 13.5-inch 2K display, it’s a great new flagship. Plus it packs in a fingerprint reader and an IR camera for fast and secure sign-in.

HP is also getting in on the action, with the HP Elite Dragonfly range bringing in not one, but two 5G capable models across its 2021 range. And as a built-in safety feature for the occasionally careless, the new HP Elite Dragonfly range has a Tile tracker built-in so you won’t misplace it easily.

And even if you can’t find the right laptop complete with 5G, there are always 5G-compatible modems and smart hubs to give you the speed you need on the go.

The network to back it up

Telstra 5G now works in more places than ever. One in two Australians now live, work and travel in our 5G footprint, and we’re only getting bigger and better from here.

By the end of June 2021, we’re aiming to have 5G coverage for 75 per cent of the Australian population.

Check our website for coverage, and to find out more about when this awesome tech will be available near you.