The Australian telco partnered with Ericsson and Qualcomm to make what it claims is the first 5G video call in Australia from its 5G Innovation Centre in the Gold Coast. The call connected with its Sydney headquarters.
The company also showed off its 5G Hub device, developed in partnership with mobile manufacturer HTC, which is set to launch next year. The HTC 5G Hub is a smart mobile broadband device and will be the first 5G device available in Australia, Telstra claims.
“HTC is leading a new wave of mobile innovation with 5G technology that paves the way for a more connected future,” said Cher Wang, Chairwoman and CEO of HTC. “We’re proud to work with Telstra to bring 5G to Australia and to showcase one of the first instances of live 5G in the world.”
Telstra’s 5G rollout continues as it works to enable 200 base stations with 5G technology before the end of the year, across cities like Canberra, Perth and Adelaide and regional areas like Toowoomba. It has already upgraded more than 130 sites with 70 more planned before the end of the year.
Telstra CEO Andy Penn hailed the device as an important milestone in its 5G journey, which started in 2016 with a test demonstration in partnership with Ericsson.
Penn added: “Telstra’s 5G development and testing in real-world environments is crucial to ensure Australians are among the first in the world to have access to 5G devices such as the HTC 5G Hub.
“This 5G to 5G video call demonstrates the importance of Telstra’s strategic relationship with our global industry partners. We are at the cutting edge of technology, and day by day we are making significant progress on our roadmap to bring 5G to our customers.
“The video call closely follows our enabling of Australia’s first live 5G connection using a commercial 5G chipset over licensed spectrum on Telstra’s mobile network a fortnight ago.”
