Telstra Group Limited, Australia's largest telecommunications company by market share, has a significant history in the country. Tracing its roots back to the Postmaster-General's Department established in 1901, Telstra underwent several transformations before becoming the entity it is today. The transition from a state-owned enterprise to a fully privatised company was completed by 2006. The name "Telstra", derived from the words Telecom Australia, was adopted in 1993 and has been used universally throughout the organisation since 1995. The privatisation of Telstra began in 1997 and concluded in 2011. Initially, the government sold one third of its shares in Telstra, publicly listing the company on the Australian Stock Exchange. By 2006, the government's ownership of Telstra was reduced to 17%, with the remaining shares placed in Australia's Future Fund. The fund sold off shares over the years, effectively completing Telstra's privatisation in 2011. Today, Telstra is the most widely held ASX-listed company, with more than one million shareholders.
Alias
Telstra Corporation Limited
Country
Australia
Type
Mobile Network Operator
Telstra Logo

Telstra 3G Network

Telstra launched its 3G network on October 10, 2006, using the 850 MHz and 2100 MHz frequencies. In 2007, the network was upgraded to deliver speeds of 7.2 Mbps. By February 18, 2009, Telstra had enhanced the downstream speeds of its NextG network to 21 Mbps with HSPA+ technology, aiming to reach 42 Mbps by the end of 2009. Further advancements occurred on June 23, 2009, when Telstra upgraded its 3.5G NextG mobile network, increasing peak uplink speeds to 5.8 Mbps. Customers were expected to experience speeds between 300 kbps and 3 Mbps in capital cities, metropolitan areas, and some regional locations. 

On May 20, 2010, Telstra tested HSPA+ dual channel technology over a live commercial mobile network, upgrading parts of its infrastructure to support the technology. This offered theoretical download speeds of up to 42 Mbps, with real-world trials achieving average download speeds of around 22 Mbps. By June 1, 2010, the network was upgraded to 42 Mbps DC-HSPA+. On August 1, 2012, Telstra prepared to shut down its 2100 MHz 3G carrier, focusing on providing services via its 850 MHz 3G network. On October 9, 2019, Telstra announced the shutdown of its 3G network for voice and data services to occur in June 2024 and repurposing the spectrum for its new 5G services.

The shutdown was delayed to 28th October 2024 due to concerns regarding the availability of emergency calling over VoLTE with some early 4G handset models.

Network Frequency Band Status Known UARFCNs
B1 (2100 MHz)
Shut Down
B5 (850 MHz)
Shutting Down
4387, 4412, 4436
Date Event Subtype
Telstra upgraded its NextG network with HSPA+ technology, boosting downstream speeds up to 21Mbps in 2008 and aimed to further increase peak speeds to 42Mbps by the end of 2009.
Upgrade
Telstra upgraded its 3.5G NextG mobile network, increasing peak uplink speeds to 5.8Mbps with customers expected to experience speeds between 300kbps and 3Mbps in all capital cities, metropolitan areas, and some regional locations.
Upgrade
Telstra extended the coverage of its 'NextG' 3G network to over 100 previously uncovered locations and installed more than 1,700 NextG base stations, with plans to install or improve 270 more by June 2010.
Expansion
Telstra had tested HSPA+ dual channel technology over a live, commercial mobile network, having upgraded parts of its infrastructure to support the technology that offers theoretical download speeds of up to 42Mbps; real world commercial device trials reportedly achieved average download speeds of around 22Mbps.
Demonstration
Telstra upgraded its 'NextG' wireless network to deliver peak theoretical download speeds of up to 42Mbps, using dual-channel technology to utilise two channels simultaneously on select mobile base towers, with a software upgrade to its 3.5G W-CDMA network carried out in February 2010.
Upgrade
Telstra announces shut down of the 3G mobile spectrum joint venture, which was on the B1 2100 MHz, by August 2012.
Shut Down
Telstra prepared to shut down its 2100MHz 3G band network, focusing on providing services via its 850MHz 3G network called 'Next G'.
Shut Down
Telstra removed the data speed cap on its wholesale 3G product, thereby increasing the network coverage from 98% to 98.5% of the Australian population, and made downstream speeds of 42Mbps available to wholesale customers.
Telstra announced closure of its 3G network for voice and data services in June 2024 to repurpose the spectrum for its new 5G services.
Shut Down

Telstra 4G Network

Australia's mobile internet revolution truly began when in 2011 Telstra launched its 4G network. The brand new network used LTE, a wireless technology made only for data. Telstra's 4G LTE network used the Band 3 (1800 MHz) frequency to provide very high speed internet within about 3 to 5 kilometers from each tower.

The new network was a huge success. Speeds of up to 100 Mb/s were now possible and the use of roof mounted antennas became an easy way to pick up a high speed internet connection out to about 20-30 kilometers. The high frequency did however have a downside. Unlike the Next-G network, 4G struggled to reach indoors and was hopeless at covering large distances.

To help extend 4G coverage to rural areas, in 2014 Telstra added a 700 MHz frequency which it called its "4GX" network. Band 28 (700 MHz) was able to travel much further and reach inside basements, underground car parks, and penetrate through bushland. Telstra also used a wider channel bandwidth, increasing speeds to 150 Mb/s.

But that wasn't the only change 4GX introduced. 4GX used LTE-Advanced, an upgrade to the LTE protocol which allowed the aggregation of multiple carriers together to create one super fast wireless network. Carrier Aggregation allowed Telstra to bond 700+1800 MHz frequencies to increase speeds up to 300 Mb/s.

LTE-Advanced Pro

The company owns two 20 MHz blocks of 2600 MHz spectrum and has sufficient 2100 MHz licences to provide carrier aggregation of up to five bands (B1, B3, B7+B7, and B28), which has demonstrated DL data rates up to 843 Mb/s in trials using a Category 16 LTE device.

Further trials in February 2018 demonstrated 5C aggregation (CA_1A-3C-7C) achieving over 2 Gb/s DL data rates using 256QAM, 4x4 MIMO, and 5CC CA (100 MHz). The company announced commercial activation of its 2 Gb/s LTE-A Pro network in September 2018, making it the world's first 2 Gb/s LTE network. 4x4 MIMO is currently available on B1, B3, and B7.

The network was further enhanced following Telstra's 3G switch-off, with a 10 MHz B26 (850 MHz) implemented. The network initially however was not part of the carrier aggregation set and only used for additional capacity.

Telstra IoT

In January 2018 the company announced the commercial activation of its NB-IoT network, securing its position as one of the first carriers in the world to offer both Narrowband and Cat M1 (LTE-M) IoT technologies. In February 2017 the company began working with Ericsson for the upgrade of its LTE network to support LTE-M to support the growing demand of IoT in Australia. The network became available on B3 and B28 bands in January 2018.

4G Frequency Bands
Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status Known EARFCNs
B1 (2100 MHz)
20
Active
100, 450, 500
B3 (1800 MHz)
20
Active
1275, 1300, 1350
B3 (1800 MHz)
20
Active
1471, 1498, 1521, 1550
B7 (2600 MHz)
20
Active
2950
B7 (2600 MHz)
20
Active
3150
B26 (850 MHz)
10
Active
8740
B28 (700 MHz)
20
Active
9410
Date Event Subtype
Telstra conducted a trial of Long Term Evolution Broadcast (LTE-B) technology at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, using a single stream of data to broadcast content to an unlimited number of users.
Telstra Mobile activated its first LTE-enabled base stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane using the 1800MHz spectrum.
Telstra's Long Term Evolution (LTE) network became commercially available in all capital business districts, associated airports, and selected regional locations, and announced plans to add an additional 50 locations to its LTE coverage footprint by the end of 2011.
Telstra conducted a live network trial of LTE Broadcast technology in partnership with Ericsson in the second half of 2013.
Telstra conducted commercial trials of LTE-based services using 20MHz of spectrum in the 700MHz band at six locations, and then rolled out 4G 700MHz services in a range of cities and regional centres from January 2015.
Telstra accelerated its plans to launch 4G services using 700MHz frequencies, aimed to expand total 4G coverage to 90% of the population by end-January 2015, switched on its LTE-700MHz network on 1 January 2015 to cover a three-kilometre radius of all capital central business districts and 50 regional locations.
Telstra had more than 3.2 million 4G devices operating over its infrastructure two years after the launch of its LTE network.
Telstra and Ericsson deployed the latest generation LTE radio and core network technology, introduced tri-band Carrier Aggregation capability to Telstra's 4GX network which led to peak speeds of up to 450Mbps using the newly acquired 700MHz and 2600MHz spectrum bands.
Telstra recorded downlink speeds exceeding 1Gbps using Samsung's Galaxy smartphones on a commercial network, with typical download speeds in the range of 5-300Mbps in Telstra's gigabit-enabled coverage areas.
Telstra used five 20MHz LTE carriers across three frequency bands using 4x4 MIMO and 256 QAM technologies along with Ericsson's Baseband 6630, Radio 4415 to achieve speeds up to 2Gbps in lab tests, with 100MHz of spectrum aggregated across bands 1 (2100MHz), 3 (1800MHz) and 7 (2600MHz) using a NETGEAR Nighthawk mobile router equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon X24 LTE modem.
Telstra worked with Ericsson to deploy LTE-Broadcast (LTE-B) across Australia, intending to introduce a commercial LTE-B as part of existing services and a 24/7 linear streaming channel exclusive to select Samsung devices.
Telstra completed the deployment of new mobile sites in Woongenellup, Western Australia and Kongwak, Victoria, along with upgrades in Cardwell, Queensland and Grace Plains, South Australia to its 4GX-branded LTE-700 infrastructure, thus providing LTE-based connectivity across more than 1.4 million square kilometres.
Telstra implemented LTE-Broadcast (LTE-B) technology across its national network, demonstrated through a live demonstration in Sydney with over 100 Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S9 devices showing simultaneous HD content from the AFL Live Official app using LTE-B technology.
Telstra combined five carriers to achieve download speeds of up to 1Gbps over a live commercial mobile network by aggregating 100MHz of spectrum across their spectrum holdings in the 700MHz, 1800MHz, 2100MHz and 2600MHz (2×20MHz) bands.
Telstra introduced a 4G LTE Advanced Category 11 (Cat 11) 600Mbps capable device, using tri-band carrier aggregation technology, and supported up to 15 Wi-Fi-enabled devices while switching between 3G, LTE and LTE-Advanced infrastructures.
Telstra launched the next generation of 4G services in selected pockets of Sydney and Adelaide CBDs using the early accessed 700MHz spectrum in mid-September, with further rollout in more cities and regional centres as the spectrum became available in January 2015.
Telstra expanded LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) services, branded as '4GX', to Melbourne's central business district (CBD) and surrounding suburbs, offering increased download speeds and network capacity.
Telstra achieved download speeds of 300Mbps using Carrier Aggregation technology, by aggregating 20MHz bandwidth in the 1800MHz band and 20MHz in the 2600MHz band over its live 4G network.
Telstra utilised LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation technology on 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum bands and transferred data across its live network in Queensland.
Telstra increased the 4G capacity by up to 50% at around 200 cellular sites in North Queensland and South Australia, utilising the LTE-suitable spectrum in the 1800MHz band.
Telstra initiated commercial Long Term Evolution (LTE) services in Australia in September 2011, accumulating 2.1 million customers connecting to its 4G network via various devices by a particular date.
Qualcomm Technologies collaborated on the development of the world’s first Gigabit Class LTE mobile device and the first Gigabit Class LTE commercially ready network.
Telstra extended its LTE network's footprint to New South Wales and Victoria's snowfields including Falls Creek, Mount Hotham, Perisher, and Thredbo, and planned to add Jindabyne and Mount Buller within two weeks.
Telstra utilised Ericsson's Radio Dot System and Pico Cell RBS 6402 to deploy indoor and outdoor small cells in its 4G LTE network, facilitating increased coverage and significant additional carrier aggregation and Coordinated Multi Point gains.
Telstra upgraded around 7,500 cell sites and offered LTE Advanced services over the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands, considering the refarming of the 900MHz spectrum initially used for 2G voice services.
Telstra switched on its 3,000th LTE-enabled base station in Dalby, Queensland, expanding the overall 4G network coverage, aiming to achieve 85% population coverage after installing 3,500 4G base stations by Christmas.
Telstra aimed to expand its LTE network footprint to an additional 200 regional towns across Australia, with a projected coverage level reaching 85% of the population by end-2013, up from the 66%.
Telstra planned to introduce a wholesale 4G service by June 2016, carried out necessary technical work at a network and platform level, and targeted to reach at least 90% of the Australian population with high-speed download performance.
Telstra more than doubled their Long Term Evolution (LTE) service coverage area in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth, aiming to extend 4G access to two thirds of Australia's population, and planned on offering 'ultra-fast mobile coverage' across all capital cities.
Telstra integrated Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology into the central business districts of all state capitals and selected regional centres by the end of the year.
Ericsson demonstrated speeds of 979Mbps downlink and 129Mbps uplink on Telstra's network using a Qualcomm Snapdragon X16 LTE modem test device, employing LTE-Advanced carrier aggregation, 64 QAM uplink, 256 QAM downlink, and 4x4 Multiple-Input Multiple-Output technologies.
Telstra deployed its 4G LTE network by switching on its 1,500th base station, with a commitment to roll out more than 2,000 4G base stations by the end of the financial year 2013 to reach 66% population coverage.
Telstra tested downlink speeds of up to 2Gbps over LTE in the Ericsson lab using a prototype commercial device, aggregating 100MHz of spectrum across various frequency bands and utilising 4×4 MIMO technology.
Telstra constructed 135 small cell base stations boosting 4G connectivity in more than 130 rural and regional communities across Australia.
Telstra's commercial Gigabit LTE network and device were unveiled, including the 'Nighthawk M1' which was made available to consumers from late February 2017 with the service being introduced in selected state capital city CBDs.
Telstra launched commercial LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) services, labelled '4GX', utilising the 700MHz and 1800MHz spectrum in several locations including Hobart, Brisbane, and various regional centres.
Telstra utilised Gilat Satellite Networks' backhaul solution, which included DVB-S2X Capricorn VSAT from SkyEdge II-c platform, to broaden the reach of its 4G mobile service in remote areas across Australia.
Telstra halted the development of its LTE-Advanced network that used 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum holdings and instead paired the 1800MHz with recently acquired 700MHz frequencies.
Telstra launched LTE services using a new frequency and introduced LTE-Advanced.
Telstra had commenced offering USB modems designed for its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, achieving downlink speeds of 149.4Mbps in a controlled environment and 69.3Mbps in field tests.
Telstra deployed its 3,500th Long Term Evolution (LTE)-enabled base stations, making its infrastructure available to 85% of the population and over 300 regional towns.
Telstra achieved downlink transmission speeds of 450Mbps using LTE-A technology by deploying a Carrier Aggregation solution combining spectrum in the 1800MHz and 2600MHz bands, notably two new 20MHz Frequency Division Duplex channels in the 2600MHz spectrum band, aggregated with its existing 20MHz spectrum allowance in the 1800MHz band.
Telstra expanded Long Term Evolution-based services to over 100 regional and metropolitan centres across Australia, including the eight capital city central business districts, with the second phase of the 4G technology rollout extending coverage to additional suburbs in Newcastle, New South Wales.

Telstra 5G Network

In September 2016, Telstra executed a real-world trial of Ericsson's 5G radio test bed. This technology, comprised of high transmission speeds and ultra-low latency, employed Multi-User Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) and beam steering technology. This test enabled the optimisation of better network performance and increased capacity. Subsequently, in Melbourne, Telstra trialled its 5G network using an incredible 800MHz of spectrum, over ten fold the amount used for their 4G network. It achieved transmission speeds exceeding 20Gbps and its latency was nearly half of that experienced with the 4G networks.

In November 2017, Telstra and Ericsson completed an unprecedentedly accomplished 5G data call using 26GHz millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum. This marked the inaugural activation of the 26GHz band. Later, in 2018, Telstra activated the world's 'first precinct of 5G-enabled Wi-Fi hotspots', using its 5G Innovation Centre's connectivity to power certain Wi-FI hotspots in the streets and a 5G Connected Car. Besides activating several 5G-capable sites within selected areas of the Gold Coast, Telstra initiated real-world testing of 5G pre-commercial devices and connected commercial 5G devices for customers in 5G areas. Telstra's non-standalone (NSA) 3GPP data call on a commercial mobile network used the 2100MHz and 3.5GHz bands. This was achieved by leveraging Ericsson's commercial 5G NR radio 6488, baseband, the packet core for 5G EPC, and an Intel 5G Mobile Trial Platform for the 5G NR User Equipment. Telstra's next-generation infrastructure and 5G-capable equipment got switched on in Toowoomba and across various parts of the Gold Coast. The year also saw, Telstra secure a live 5G connection using its 3.5GHz commercial spectrum and a commercial fifth-generation chipset, a first in the mobile network's history. Telstra progressively broadened its 5G spectrum usage.

By 2023, it implemented and validated Australia's premier 5G Voice over New Radio (VoNR) using Ericsson's pre-commercial Reduced Capability software. It also deployed Cloud RAN infrastructure on the commercial 5G network, migrating two carrier frequencies - 2600MHz and 3600MHz - to this new system. With a combination of the 26GHz mmWave and the mid-band spectrum, Telstra accomplished a network download speed record of 5.9Gbps using Ericsson's NR-DC software feature with downlink eight-component Carrier Aggregation, a first in its history. This marked a point of critical infrastructure maturity for Telstra's 5G network, having covered 80% of the Australian population by 2022 and intending to increase this coverage to include 95% by 2025.

Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status
n78 (3500 MHz)
100
Active
n5 (850 MHz)
5
Active
n26 (850 MHz)
10
Planned
Date Event Subtype
Telstra completed the nation's first end-to-end 5G standalone call at its 5G Innovation Centre on the Gold Coast using a 3.6GHz spectrum and a forthcoming commercial chipset.
Telstra switched on several 5G-capable sites on the Gold Coast, enabling the testing of 5G pre-commercial devices in real-world conditions.
In September 2016, Telstra trialed Ericsson's 5G radio test bed, testing high speeds, ultra-low latency, Multi-User Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO), and beam steering technology to optimise mobile signals with less interference.
In Melbourne, a 5G trial system demonstrated capabilities over a live network using 800MHz of spectrum, resulting in aggregate speeds greater than 20Gbps and a latency at least half of the current 4G networks.
Ericsson supported Telstra in the transformation and expansion of a nationwide optical network, conducted 5G New Radio (NR) trials, and deployed Australia's largest Internet of Things (IoT) network via the deployment of Cat-M1 functionality.
Optus initiated the rollout of 5G technology in Australia's key metro areas using both C-band and mmWave frequencies, and achieved downlink speeds of 2Gbps during an outdoor trial for 5G New Radio.
Telstra switched on the first precinct of 5G-enabled Wi-Fi hotspots in the Gold Coast, using connectivity via its 5G Innovation Centre and powering a series of Wi-Fi hotspots on Scarborough and Nerang Streets in Southport along with a 5G Connected Car.
Telstra, with Ericsson and Intel, had completed the first end-to-end 5G non-standalone (NSA) 3GPP data call on a commercial mobile network, utilising spectrum in the 3.5GHz band and 2100MHz band, and implementing Telstra's 5G NSA commercial network, a retail SIM card, Ericsson's 5G NR radio 6488, baseband, packet core for 5G EPC, and the Intel 5G Mobile Trial Platform for the 5G NR UE.
Telstra switched on its first 5G-capable sites across parts of the Gold Coast and Toowoomba, deploying 5G-capable equipment in a select region of the Queensland community.
Telstra achieved a live 5G 3GPP R15 data call using a commercial chipset in a form factor device on its mobile network, employing its 3.5GHz commercial spectrum, alongside Ericsson’s latest 5G network and Qualcomm Technologies commercial 5G chipset in a commercial form factor device.
Telstra enabled 5G for the first time at sites in Melbourne and Sydney using the 3.6GHz spectrum.
Telstra commercially activated 5G sites in Australia and allowed access to 5G services using HTC 5G Hub and Samsung's Galaxy S10 5G devices.
Telstra expanded its 5G network coverage to Dubbo, making a total of 26 towns and cities across Australia covered by their 5G network, but the specific frequency band or spectrum used wasn't provided.
Telstra had 100,000 5G devices connected to its network with 800 5G-capable sites, and planned to extend 5G connectivity to 35 cities by mid-2020.
Telstra utilised the 26GHz spectrum band and tested a live mobile base station in their commercial network for 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) connectivity, which was reported to be on trial under special licences for pre-auction commercial traffic.
Telstra and Cisco completed the world's first '5G Sub 6GHz radio call over a packetised fronthaul network (X-HAUL)', built on top of an optical base layer and based on segment routing with QoS, increasing the resiliency of Telstra's transmission networks for its 4G and 5G base stations.
Telstra achieved full end-to-end enablement for 5G Standalone (5G SA), allowing 5G SA-capable devices to operate purely in 5G mode without the support of underlying 4G technology.
Telstra switched on its network in 47 locations and covered more than 700 suburbs across Australia with some achieving up to 100% coverage.
Telstra had over 1,500 5G sites in operation across selected areas of 53 cities and towns in Queensland, Victoria, and Tasmania, with over 1,000 suburbs nationally more than half covered by its 5G infrastructure.
Telstra introduced a fixed-wireless 5G offering, 'Telstra 5G Home Internet', via its 5G network available in over 1,000 suburbs and 53 cities and towns around Australia.
Telstra announced the activation of over 2,000 live sites across Australia.
Telstra, in partnership with Ericsson, completed the world's first 5G data call using 26GHz millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum.
Telstra announced that its 5G network covered 50% of Australia's population, aiming to increase this to 75% by the end of June 2021, with over 750,000 5G devices on its network.
Telstra achieved a download speed of 5Gbps on its commercial 5G network, using 5G millimetre wave (mmWave) technologies.
Telstra successfully completed tests of its 5G technology on the 850MHz spectrum, repurposed from its previous 3G network, and confirmed the activation of about 1,200 sites for 5G connectivity using the same spectrum.
A standalone 5G data call was successfully completed over a distance of 113 km from a commercial mobile site in Gippsland, Victoria, achieved using Telstra's 850MHz spectrum and Ericsson's latest commercial 5G standalone network software.
Telstra achieved its goal of deploying its 5G broadband connectivity to cover three-quarters of the population in mid-2021, with services switched on in selected areas of over 100 regional towns and cities, increasing the total covered locations to over 200 nationally.
Telstra planned to expand its 5G network coverage to reach 95% of the population and expected 80% of all mobile traffic to be on its 5G network by the end of financial year 2025; concurrently, a 100,000 square kilometre increase in both its 4G and 5G footprint was anticipated, with a doubling of the number of metro cells aimed at enhancing capacity and speed.
Telstra, in partnership with Ericsson and Qualcomm, set a new network download speed record of 5.9Gbps using a smartphone form factor mobile test device, achieved by combining eight contiguous carriers of 100MHz mmWave with 100MHz of mid-band spectrum on Telstra's mmWave 5G network.
Telstra covered 80% of the population with its 5G network, aiming to increase coverage to 95% by 2025.
Telstra deployed an automated standards-based network slicing service orchestration capability and the Ericsson Local Packet Gateway in its commercial 5G network.
Telstra and Ericsson launched the vendor's Cloud RAN infrastructure on Telstra's 5G commercial network, with the technology having been deployed at various sites and two carrier frequencies - 2600MHz and 3600MHz - migrated to this infrastructure.
Telstra and Ericsson reached a new 5G download peak speed of 7.3Gbps on the former’s live commercial network at a site at the Gold Coast in Queensland.
In May 2020, Telstra completed the end-to-end construction of its mobile network for 5G Standalone (SA) technology, and later enabled support for 5G SA through a firmware update for Samsung Galaxy S22 series smartphones.
Telstra implemented and validated Australia's first 5G Voice over New Radio (VoNR) using Ericsson's pre-commercial Reduced Capability (RedCap) software on its commercial network with a MediaTek RedCap testing device.

Knowledge Base Articles