DEVONPORT, Thursday 25 March 2021: Telstra has switched on more than a dozen new Telstra 5G sites across north west Tasmania as part of a major mobile network upgrade project, bringing 5G services to Devonport, Burnie and Ulverstone for the very first time.
Telstra's Regional General Manager Michael Patterson and Devonport Mayor Cr Annette Rockliff today announced 5G services had been switched on in large parts of the city, with further upgrades to come.
"This is a milestone in Telstra's 5G network roll out in Tasmania and means customers in Devonport and towns across north west Tasmania can now experience the latest mobile technology," Mr Patterson said.
"Devonport, Burnie and Ulverstone join a growing list of cities and towns across the country where we've started rolling out 5G services as part of Australia's largest 5G network."
Devonport Mayor Cr Annette Rockliff said the Telstra 5G network will further enhance the exciting changes occurring in Devonport thanks to the LIVING CITY project, which is the largest urban renewal project to ever be undertaken in regional Tasmania.
"It's an exciting time to call Devonport home and Council is committed to making our city a great place to work, live and invest. The Telstra 5G network will support one of Council's key strategic plan outcomes, to implement smartcity initiatives," Cr Rockliff said.
"We know that so many people are looking to make a tree-change or sea-change and now with 5G here, people can stay connected, work remotely with better and faster technology - Devonport can be at the forefront for those looking for a different lifestyle.
"Devonport now has the same mobile connectivity you might expect in places like Hobart or the interstate capitals - and it means our city is now playing on the same field and puts us right in the frame for high-tech jobs of the future."
There are now six Telstra 5G sites on-air in Devonport, five sites in Burnie and two in Ulverstone with other sites on-air at Deloraine in the Meander Valley and Blackwall and Legana in West Tamar.
Further upgrades are planned in Devonport, Ulverstone and in the Northern Midlands.
"We made Tasmania a top priority when we began rolling out 5G services more than two and a half years ago with Launceston and Hobart among the first cities in the country to experience Telstra's new network."
"While our competitors have largely been ignoring Tasmania, at least as far as 5G is concerned, we've been busy building a Telstra 5G network Tasmanians are already using each and every day," Mr Patterson said.
Telstra has upgraded more than 60 sites across Tasmania to 5G since late 2018. 50 of these sites are in Hobart and Launceston with others now in Devonport, Burnie, Ulverstone and through regional Tasmania.
A recent independent 5G audit based on extensive drive surveys of nine Australian cities showed Telstra 5G availability is approaching 90 per cent in Hobart, higher than in any of the five mainland capital cities.
"Tens of thousands of Telstra customers in Tasmania have taken up 5G services and are already experiencing better connectivity on Telstra 5G," Mr Patterson said.
Customers need a 5G device and plan to experience Telstra 5G however the upgrades are also improving the underlying network capability, boosting capacity and speeds for Telstra's existing 4G customers as well.
Telstra already has more than 1,000,000 5G devices on the network and is adding thousands of new 5G devices every single week as more customers take advantage of the technology.
There are more than 3,000 Telstra 5G sites on-air across the country, as well as coverage in more than 100 cities and towns and more than 2,400 suburbs across Australia with selected areas of Telstra 5G coverage.
