Telstra signs 5G device exclusives

Telstra has negotiated timed exclusive agreements with a number of mobile device makers that will allow it to introduce a number of 5G commercial devices in the first half of this year.

Speaking at the annual CES consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, Telstra CEO Andy Penn revealed the company has entered agreements with “some of the world’s leading brands” for their first crop of 5G devices.

Penn said the partnerships will ensure Telstra 5G devices are available to Telstra before any of its rivals.

He did not name the device manufactures involved or go into details of the terms of the contract, but in a blog post, Penn said the company will be providing further details closer to the release of the devices.

Penn meanwhile confirmed that Telstra had exceeded its target of rolling out 200 5G-enabled mobile sites across Australia by the end of 2018. The company’s initial 5G deployment has spanned every major city and some regional centres.

In addition, Penn said that despite his comments last year about customers being willing to pay more for 5G, the company has yet to decide whether to charge a premium for access to 5G connectivity compared to 4G.

Image courtesy Telstra

Please follow us and share on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe for FREE to our weekly newsletter and quarterly magazine.