5G leader Telstra joins club of world technology firms
TELSTRA has banded together with other telecommunications groups globally to create a club that it says will further develop specifications for 5G technology.
The 5G Future Forum, launched yesterday, was formed to “collaborate to develop interoperable 5G specifications across key geographic regions”.
Other telcos involved are América Móvil, KT, Rogers, Vodafone and Verizon. They will focus on building out 5G across the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe.
“Telecommunications companies are in the driver’s seat when it comes to creating opportunities for their customers to take advantage of the world of possibilities enabled by 5G,” Telstra group executive for networks and IT Nikos Katinakis said in a statement.
“We are proud to stand alongside these global 5G leaders, combining our experience and capabilities, as well as 5G leadership, to develop initiatives to bring mobile-edge computing to life.”
Hans Vestberg, the executive chair of US-based heavyweight Verizon, said it was critical that technology companies around the world united to create the most seamless experience for customers.
“We are proud to join with our fellow 5G leaders to unlock the full potential of applications and solutions that will (be transformed) with 5G’s fast speeds, high reliability, improved security and singledigit latency,” he said.
It comes after Telstra announced last week that it was about to exceed 100,000 5Gconnected devices in Australia – surpassing the US – as the technology continued to gain traction.
Telstra group executive for consumer and small business Michael Ackland said at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas that Australian consumers had lapped up the faster speeds available through 5G, which was launched in the middle of 2018.
“We’re very happy with the momentum we’re seeing in 5G so far,” Mr Ackland said.
“Since July, a quarter of our Android phones sold have been 5G phones.
“We have seen several new 5G phones and laptops launched at CES, many of which are in the mid-market.”