Vodafone has officially activated its 5G network in Australia with the first sites going live in Parramatta in Sydney’s west. The company has also announced there will be no additional charge to customers to access 5G.
There are more than 650 5G sites planned around the country in the first phase of the rollout with thousands more on the roadmap in the coming years.
The first sites will be located in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra and will go live from mid 2020.
Vodafone CEO Inaki Berroeta says Vodafone customers will soon be able to access the 5G network across Australia as well as overseas.
“This is an exciting occasion for us as a business and for our customers – we have worked tirelessly to put our customers at the heart of our 5G plans and we are proud to switch on our first live sites today in Parramatta,” Mr Berroeta said.
Vodafone customers travelling the world with $5 a day roaming will also be able access 5G networks while roaming initially in five countries – the UK, Italy, Spain, Germany and Ireland.
More 5G destinations will be added over time.
5G will be available to current post-paid and pre-paid Vodafone customers at no extra charge.
Vodafone customers will, of course, still have access to the 4G network which will remain in place while the 5G footprint expands.
And in other good news for Vodafone, the ACCC has announced it will not be appealing the Federal Court ruling on the merger with TPG.
“We are pleased that the ACCC has decided not to appeal the Court’s decision and that will allow us to quickly progress completion of the merger with TPG,” Mr Berroeta said.
“We believe that the merger will allow us to be a stronger player that will bring more choice and value for Australian consumers and businesses.
“We have ambitious 5G rollout plans.
“Ultimately, consumers and businesses will be the big winners from this merger.
“After 18 months of uncertainty, we’re excited to now be able to progress our plans.
“Finally, Australia will see a third, fully-integrated telecommunications company with the scale to compete head-to-head across the whole telecoms market.”