5G Frequency Spectrum in Australia

The Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA) held the auction for 3.6 GHz (n78) band spectrum in November and December 2018. Australia’s four telecom operators acquired 125 MHz of frequencies in the auction.

Australia has allocated the following frequency bands for 5G:

The 3.6 GHz band spectrum auction raised a total of $850 million and saw four winning bidders: Dense Air Australia, Mobile JV, Optus Mobile and Telstra Corporation. The license period is from 30 March 2020 to 13 December 2030.

Major 5G service providers in Australia are Telstra, Optus and Vodafone (Mobile JV was formed by the merger of TPG Telecom Limited and Vodafone Hutchison Australia). Some reports suggest that 5G coverage in Australia has reached 50%.

Telstra announced in May 2020 that it has successfully tested a Standalone (SA) 5G network in partnership with Ericsson. This makes Telstra the first operator in Australia to have a 5G SA architecture and is expected to be available commercially by the end of 2020.

The ACMA has proposed three distinct approaches in the 26 GHz band to assign spectrum for 5G deployment:

• 25.1–27.5 GHz in defined areas (metropolitan and regional centers)
• 25.1–27.5 GHz in all other areas
• 24.7–25.1 GHz Australia-wide