TPG Telecom launches 5G standalone service

TPG Telecom has turned on 5G standalone services in “parts of Sydney” in what it said was a world-first.

TPG Telecom's 5G SA radio equipment.(Credit: TPG Telecom/Nokia/LinkedIn).

The telco said it is running 5G standalone services in 700MHz spectrum, which it said offered “wide outdoor 5G services, as well as deep indoor 5G coverage in urban and suburban areas.”

The service runs using Nokia radio equipment.

“We’re excited to be the first network in the world to realise the true potential of low band 5G SA at 700MHz,” TPG Telecom’s executive general manager for mobile and fixed networks Barry Kezik said in a statement.

“TPG Telecom’s low band 5G will expand our 5G coverage, supporting our goal of reaching 85 percent of the population in Australia’s top six cities by the end of the year and changing the way people and things connect to the TPG Telecom 5G network.”

Standalone refers to 5G networks that are capable of operating in pure 5G mode, instead of being aided by existing 4G infrastructure.

Rival Telstra said last week that it had also enabled 5G standalone services, meaning it could push ahead with so-called “slicing” trials where virtual portions of the network are optimised for particular customers and use cases.

Optus has also recently reported on trials using 5G standalone technology as it also eyes a national deployment.