Optus Works with Ericsson, Samsung to Smash 5G Speed Record

Optus has broken the Australian record for real commercial 5G speeds delivering a download speed of over 2.5Gbps on a Samsung Galaxy S20 5G device, as it launches the first of its ultra-high-speed 5G sites earmarked for Sydney and Melbourne.

Working with technology partner Ericsson and Samsung, Optus has utilised mid-band spectrum and 5G carrier aggregation to achieve these speeds at a live site in Sydney. A further 150 ultra-high speed 5G sites will be deployed on existing Optus 5G infrastructure by November, in selected areas of Sydney and Melbourne.

“As they roll out, these new ultra-high-speed sites will provide a real speed boost to Optus customers with capable 5G handsets and 5G SIM,” Optus Managing Director Networks Lambo Kanagaratnam, said.

“The speeds we have achieved today are a real taste of what we are capable of delivering to Optus 5G Mobile customers in the coming months as we progressively roll out 5G ultra-high-speed sites in Sydney and Melbourne.”

Kanagaratnam said speed is a critical component of 5G but “not all speeds are created equal.”

“Optus 5G ultra-high-speed sites are the next step in our ambition to deliver Australians a network that offers the fastest 5G. This is not lab technology, this technology is available now and we have an ambitious rollout plan over the next few months to ensure that more of our Optus 5G Mobile customers benefit from these ‘gigabit’ speeds.”

5G in the Home

Optus Home Internet customers will also get a taste of even higher 5G Home Internet speeds with Optus planning to unlock 100Mhz of 3500Mhz midband spectrum for users in selected areas of Sydney and Melbourne in the coming months.

The Optus 5G Home Internet service is already delivering average download speeds of 214Mbps and this increase in spectrum bandwidth of around 60 percent will result in even faster average speeds for customers.

“We see our 5G Home Internet as Australia’s best and it’s already fast – in fact in recent weeks we have seen more and more customers experience download speeds in excess of 300Mbps and with access to this 100Mhz midband spectrum we expect to see these speeds climb even higher. We lead the market for 5G Home Internet and having been available to customers for more than a year, we understand the way our customers are using this product and with multiple devices all streaming content simultaneously, we know that this speed boost will be welcomed,” added Kanagaratnam.

Optus is also offering customers a 5G Price Match Guarantee on the purchase of 5G phones stocked by Optus, ensuring customers can get the latest 5G handsets at the best price in Australia.

Optus currently has over 920 5G sites with its multi-award winning 5G Network now available to over 650,000 Australian homes, and the rollout is continuing at pace.