Telstra has opened up its 5G network to wholesale customers.
‘What does that mean for me’, you might be asking?
Well, to put it simply, if you’re with a carrier that uses the Telstra network, they will have access to Telstra’s 5G network and can then start offering you a 5G service.
It won’t be automatic and you won’t just be pushed onto the 5G network, however, you’ll likely be required to sign up for a 5G service.
The Telstra Wholesale 5G service will be available to Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) from July. If you’re not familiar with the term, an MVNO is a wireless communications services provider that does not own the wireless network infrastructure it uses.
Telstra reckons its coverage reaches just over 75 per cent of Australians and that you can expect to see speeds ranging 10-250 Mbps and have access to mmWave if your device supports it. Currently, the Google Pixel 6 Pro is the only handset in Australia that’s mmWave capable, however.
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“The ability for our MVNO customers to offer a premium 5G mobile plan, as part of their suite of mobile solutions, provides even more possibilities for these customers to unlock new growth opportunities and attract different audiences seeking the performance benefits and capacity of 5G,” Telstra Wholesale sales and wholesale segment executive Glenn Osborne said.
Currently, there are a number of MVNOs using the Telstra network: Belong, Boost Mobile, Woolworths Mobile, ALDI Mobile, Pennytel, MATE and numobile. Exetel and Tangerine also use the Telstra network for some of their offerings.
Why have we used ‘finally’ in the headline? Well, all the way back in 2020, Optus opened its 5G network to its wholesale partners at the same time it launched the service for its own customers, so it’s about time Telstra jumped on board.
Also announced by Telstra was its plan to wholesale a “new customisable IoT product range”, including a specific IoT product that MVNOs will be able to offer. It also wants to target the wearable device market with “connectivity solutions for new market entrants to provide watches, cameras, pendants and other consumer devices with connectivity to their end consumers”.