Telstra has now upgraded its 5G radio access network (RAN) coverage footprint across Australia, connecting a Cloud Native 5G Core network to handle new 5G Standalone traffic.

The 5G Standalone landmark achievement means that Telstra already has the capability to run 5G independent of existing 4G network technology. 5G SA devices are expected to be commercially available in Australia in late 2020.

Nikos Katinakis, Telstra's Group Executive Networks & IT, said Telstra was the first communications service provider in Australia and one of the first in the world to reach the 5G end-to-end Standalone capability milestone.

"Getting the Telstra mobile network to be 5G Standalone-ready is an important step towards unleashing greater capabilities for enterprises and consumers alike. Working together with our technology partner Ericsson, our new 5G service-based architecture will allow us to create innovative new services and solutions and deliver these much quicker than in the past."

Emilio Romeo, Head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand, says: "5G New Radio Standalone and 5G Core is the next evolution in architecture for 5G networks, which will help to increase network efficiency and drive new uses, particularly for Industry 4.0. We're pleased to be working with Telstra to ensure Australians have access to this leading technology, that will ultimately drive new innovation and industries."

Ericsson and Telstra partnered to achieve Australia's first end to end 5G Standalone call in July 2019. That landmark had in turn followed several 5G achievements by the partners.

Ericsson