Telstra rolls out regional 5G first in Toowoomba

29 August 2018

Telstra today announced it had switched on 5G technology in Toowoomba, making it the first regional community in Australia and one of the first places in the world to be 5G ready.

Telstra CEO Andrew Penn and Executive Director, Network & Infrastructure Engineering, Channa Seneviratne joined civic and business leaders at the Harristown base station in Toowoomba to launch 5G technology in a select area of the Queensland community.

Mr Penn said the switch-on highlighted Telstra’s commitment to providing 5G technology to regional Australia.

“Telstra provides more network investment and mobile coverage across Australia than anyone else and regional Australia is an essential part of our 5G plans,” Mr Penn said.

“5G devices are around the corner and when they are commercially available this network upgrade means the people of Toowoomba will be among the first people in the world to enjoy access to 5G services.

“Bringing the transformational technology of 5G to Toowoomba, a key regional centre and one of the fastest growing cities in the country, is exciting for the possibilities it will enable, be it in education, health, community services, business and agriculture.

“For a sector like agriculture, the fibre-like data speeds, low latency and high performance and capacity of 5G open up fantastic opportunities for growth.

“It’s an incredibly exciting time as we start to expand 5G coverage in capital cities as well as more regional centres over the coming months.”

The switch-on is another important milestone in Telstra’s 5G market leadership.

Earlier this month Telstra announced it had switched on 5G technology across selected areas of the Gold Coast, making Australia’s largest and fastest mobile network the first in the country to be 5G ready.

More than 200 5G-capable sites are planned to be live around the country by the end of 2018.

In February, Telstra launched its 5G Innovation Centre on the Gold Coast, which has since been home to several world and Australian firsts including the world’s first precinct of 5G-enabled Wi-Fi hotspots, Australia’s first 5G Connected Car, and the world’s first end-to-end 5G non-standalone data call on a commercial mobile network.

Telstra’s rollout of 5G is underpinned by around $5 billion in mobile network investment over the three years to 30 June 2019, consistent with previous guidance, to enhance the capacity, capability and reach of Telstra’s network.

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