Malua Bay is one of the first places to have access to Telstra's new 5G network.
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After the Malua Bay mobile base station was destroyed by bushfires earlier this year, Telstra regional general manager Chris Taylor said it was upgraded to 5G.
"We had the temporary cell on wheels there for a number of months while we planned the rebuild," Mr Taylor said.
"We made a decision that if we were going to rebuild it - let's do it once and upgrade it with 5G so it's set and future-proof."
In the coming months, Mr Taylor said the 5G network would rollout to the Batemans Bay area, and to the rest of the nation.
"It's really exciting Malua Bay is among the first places in Australia, indeed the world, to have access to 5G connectivity," Mr Taylor said.
Malua Bay has today taken a step towards the 5G future as Telstra switches on the area's first Telstra 5G base station, part of our ongoing rollout of Australia's leading 5G.
Telstra Regional General Manager Chris Taylor said the new 5G capacity, and the ongoing rollout, will not only benefit customers with 5G devices in the selected areas that 5G will initially be deployed, but will also benefit customers with 4G devices in the vicinity of new 5G coverage.
"Telstra has always been dedicated to connecting people in regional Australia and ensuring they are amongst the first to experience the latest mobile technology," Mr Taylor said.
"Now with the first 5G sites on air, customers in Malua Bay have a chance to be part of that cutting edge. Further to this, as we roll out this new 5G technology, it will also improve 4G capacity and speeds.
"When we put 5G on a particular tower, it improves the experience of 4G for users as well."
So what is 5G? It's Telstra's fifth generation network and a leap forward in mobile network technology.
Mr Taylor said it's much faster with less delays.
"It has a much greater capacity, so can take a lot more traffic on the network," he said.
"It's faster, so people experience download speeds of up to 500 megabits per second."
He said the latency or response time was lower: "which is good for people who do online gaming or for things like precision manufacturing or remote health procedures in the future, or driver-less vehicles."
The 5G network was built on the existing frequencies of the 3G network.
"It (5G) won't have extra coverage than the existing network," Mr Tayor said.
"It will be announced in 2024, where we will be closing down our 3G network as we build the 5G network."
He said the 4G network will remain, equivalent to the 3G network.
Only compatible devices can access the network.
Mr Taylor said three top mobile phone manufacturers will launch products compatible with the 5G network this month.
"We are starting to see more and more manufacturers now bring 5G handsets on to the market," he said.
Other regional locations to have launched the 5G network are: Nowra, Goulburn, Queanbeyan, Albury-Wodonga, Deniliquin, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Bathurst, Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Kempsey, Maitland, Newcastle, Murwillumbah, Lithgow and Port Macquarie.
"We now have commenced the rollout of 5G in 53 cities around Australia. For those interested in finding out more about the 5G coverage rollout and about the 5G handsets and devices available to take advantage of this new network technology, further detail can be found at telstra.com.au/5g or by talking to a team member in any Telstra store," Mr Taylor said.
There are now more than 1500 Telstra 5G sites on-air across selected areas of 53 Australian cities and towns.
More than 1000 suburbs nationally are more than half covered by Telstra 5G and more than 10 million people live, work or pass through Telstra's 5G footprint every day.
