Iñaki Berroeta (TPG)
In July, TPG Telecom activated standalone 5G services in parts of Sydney. Now, the telco has expanded its 5G standalone core further afield, claiming a 5G reach of over 85 per cent of the population in 10 of Australia’s largest cities and regions.
The expansion comes as a result of the launch of TPG Telecom’s 5G standalone core which, drawing upon the company’s 700MHz spectrum holdings, connects devices directly to 5G without the need for a 4G connection.
TPG Telecom has partnered with Ericsson and Nokia to build its 5G standalone core, with Ericsson providing the packet core solution and Nokia providing the subscriber data management solutions.
“This is truly a pivotal moment for TPG Telecom and sets us up to deliver 5G’s full potential,” said Iñaki Berroeta, CEO of TPG Telecom, the entity arising from the merger last year of TPG and Vodafone Hutchison Australia.
“The upgraded core network has amplified our 700 MHz spectrum, tripling our 5G coverage and giving us greater reach across suburbs and in densely populated areas.
“This will give us a competitive boost going forward, with our 5G coverage on par or ahead of other mobile networks in many areas."
“It not only means more coverage in more places for mobile customers, it also significantly increases our 5G fixed wireless footprint,” he added.
Berroeta noted that the TPG-Vodafone merger has been a big factor in the company reaching its 5G milestone.
“The merger has enabled us to build a better and smarter 5G network faster than we otherwise would have, delivering one of the biggest and most tangible benefits for customers,” he said.
“Since the merger, we have integrated our spectrum, fibre and small cells to create our best ever mobile network."
“The combination of the 700 MHz low band spectrum holdings of the pre-merged businesses has enabled us to deliver an outstanding 5G network and means we are strongly-positioned for the future,” he added.
Berroeta revealed that TPG Telecom expects to deliver around 160 5G sites this month.
In September, TPG Telecom revealed it had virtualised its core network in partnership with Ericsson, with both companies now looking to deploy the Swedish telco equipment maker’s 5G Core solution.
By virtualising its core network, TPG Telecom claimed at the time it was the first operator in the country to have its whole 4G and 5G customer base on a virtualised platform and is the culmination of a multi-year partnership between the two companies.
In July, TPG Telecom and Telstra teamed up to ‘restack’ two bands in their combined radio spectrum holdings in a bid to boost data speeds for customers.
Broadly, the project involved the defragmentation of TPG Telecom and Telstra spectrum holdings within the 2100MHz and 1800MHz bands to achieve contiguous holdings for each of the two operators in Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, Darwin and Hobart.
