This is from toady's AFR. Telstra to have 5G handsets on market...

This is from toady's AFR.

 Telstra to have 5G handsets on market by JuneBy James FernyhoughUpdated 10 Jan 2019 — 2:01 PM, first published at 12:27 PMSaveShareAustralian consumers will be able to buy the first 5G-ready smartphones in Telstra stores by then end of June this year, after the telco giant revealed it had signed deals with "more than one" smartphone manufacturer to get exclusive access to their first 5G ready handsets in the first half of 2019.Announcing the deal at the CES technology fair in Las Vegas, Telstra chief executive Andy Penn called 2019 "the year of 5G"."These strategic relationships are now paying off directly for our customers, who will soon have exclusive access to 5G enabled devices on the nation's largest and fastest mobile network, and other devices will also soon hit our stores," he said.Telstra chief executive Andy Penn (left) made announced the deal at the CES tech show in Las Vegas, USA. "The 5G revolution is now very real. More than 200 Telstra 5G mobile base stations are now online across the nation and our customers will very soon be among the first in the world to experience the possibilities this revolutionary technology can deliver."The early phones will use the 3.6GHz band which Telstra acquired at auction in December. Currently Telstra has 200 5G-ready towers in all the nation's capital cities, as well as Launceston, Tawoomba and the Gold Coast, but not the rest of the country.Related QuotesTLSTelstra Corporation$2.91-0.01 (-0.17%)1 year1 dayJan 18Jul 18Jan 192.7003.1003.5007AM10AM11AM12PM1PM2.8002.9003.0003.100Updated: 10 Jan 2019 — 2:38 PMView TLS related articles AdvertisementThat means as things stand, Telstra's 5G customers would only be able to use 5G in those locations, reverting to Telstra's 4G and 3G networks everywhere else.This could change by June, as Telstra continues to build towers. Telstra will also have to negotiate with the Australian Communications and Media Authority it wants early access to the spectrum it bought in the December auction, which it is not currently set to access until 2020. The 5G service will not provide the ultra-fast, ultra-low latency connectivity that 5G tecnology will eventually facilitate, because this relies on access to the "millimetre wave" 26 GHz band, the auction for which is not until 2020.Telstra did not reveal which smartphone manufacturers it had signed the exclusive deals with, or how long the exclusive deal would last.However, the deals are almost certain not to be with Apple, which is not expected to release a 5G capable iPhone until 2020. Sony, Samsung, Huawei, OnePlus, Oppo and Nokia have all signalled they will release 5G handset in 2019. Telstra does not currently sell Huawei handsets.Mr Penn said the 5G smartphones would allow "much faster downloads, high resolution video streaming with less buffering and mobile gaming on the go". "This is the year of 5G and, as a world leader in the testing and development of 5G, we have been working closely with numerous global manufacturing and industry partners to make this revolutionary technology real-world ready," he said.SaveShareLicense articleMost Viewed In businessVodafone looking at fixed wireless alternatives to NBNCosta smashed: poor avocado demand causes profit downgrade