What is 5G?

5G stands for fifth generation and is the next generation of cellular network technology for both mobile and fixed wireless applications.

One of the main benefits of 5G is substantially increased data speeds. Vodafone ran the first live public 5G trial in Australia in 2016 which demonstrated speeds of 5Gbps.

Another main benefit is substantially decreased “latency" (the time it takes for connected devices to communicate with each other across the network). 5G will bring down latency from about 30 milliseconds (ms) in 4G to as low as 1ms.

As well as benefitting consumers, 5G offers exciting opportunities in  healthcare,  education and  agriculture.

When will 5G be available?

Although we won’t see the widespread availability of 5G devices until about 2020, Vodafone started its 5G journey several years ago.

In 2015 we embarked on a multi-year project to move most of our mobile network onto future-proof “dark fibre” transmission.

In 2017, we embarked on a world-leading project to “virtualise” our core network. By moving our network to the cloud, it will enable us to be more agile to respond to technology advancements, deploy services faster, and ultimately deliver a better user experience.

Vodafone has been working hard to ensure its network is ahead of the curve for 5G. Read more about how we are preparing for Australia’s 5G future.