Optus commences 5G standalone trials

The first Optus customers in Australia have been connected to a multi band 5G standalone network, as Optus launches an end-to-end service trial of this advanced 5G technology. Connected via the OPPO X3 Pro 5G smartphone, customers will play an important role in testing Optus 5G standalone prior to its full commercial launch next year. When available commercially, the standalone network will provide increased coverage, lower latency and greater reliability for Optus 5G customers, enabling real-time connectivity and faster speeds in the future. For enterprise, 5G standalone will be vital to unlocking precision robotics, machine learning and next generation use cases, due to its reliable low latency communications.

Optus Vice President (Network), Lambo Kanagaratnam, said that as it matures, 5G standalone will play a critical role in enabling a multitude of use cases, due to its responsiveness and bandwidth. “The evolution of 5G is moving almost as fast as our 5G speeds and it’s important to us that we continue to deliver our customers with innovative technology that improves their lives. This really is the future of 5G and it’s exciting to be able to get this into the hands of customers so that we can start to test and learn in a real-world environment what 5G standalone is capable of,” Kanagaratnam said.

Kanagaratnam forecast that as the standalone network is developed, together with technology partners Ericsson and Nokia, there will be strong gains in Optus’s 5G network coverage, which will enable more customers to benefit from the 5G mobile network. For enterprise customers, the Optus 5G standalone will provide the ability to slice the network into different virtual segments which will offer increased flexibility and efficiency, along with the opportunity to increase revenue through automation. Michael Tran, Managing Director at OPPO Australia, added that the company is focused on innovation and pushing the boundaries of technology.

“Our customers crave the best. They want the fastest, strongest and most reliable smartphone experience possible. We’re excited to be launching this pilot with Optus and to be making lightning fast connectivity accessible as soon as the standalone network is commercially launched next year,” Tran said.

Optus is working with technology provider Ericsson to roll out its 5G standalone core network.

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