Optus has switched on its first six mmWave 5G sites in Australia as it hits one million total 5G-capable devices.
Equipped with 800MHz spectrum bandwidth, the four Sydney sites at Kings Cross, Surry Hills, North Ryde, and Optus Sydney Campus, as well as the Melbourne site at Huntingdale and Brisbane site at Strathpine, will be joined by more in coming weeks.
The new sites come online as Optus marks a milestone of one million 5G-capable devices now active on its network, says Matt Williams, Managing Director Marketing and Revenue.
“The demand from our customers for 5G capable devices has surged in recent months, with eight out of 10 handsets that we sell today now 5G enabled. One million 5G devices is just the beginning for us, and as we grow our 5G network and launch new capabilities, we expect our 5G customer base to grow in parallel.
“Customers want and expect the latest tech when it comes to their network and at Optus we are committed to delivering this, which is why today we have also switched on our first six mmWave sites,” he said.
High-capacity mmWave technology has the potential to provide multi-gigabit speeds, according to Optus, which expects it to be a big boost for venues like sports stadiums and Sydney Harbour during the fireworks.
According to Lambo Kangaratnam, Managing Director Network at Optus, mmWave could “blow current mobile and home internet speeds out of the water”.
“We’ve been testing mmWave for many months, harnessing and pushing its capabilities so that once commercial devices enter the market our customers will truly be able to benefit from the capacity and speeds that this incredible technology delivers,” said Kangaratnam.
The telco currently has more than 1200 5G-enabled sites around the country.
