The 5G rollout is big news in every corner of the globe. But it has special resonance in the Land Down Under. Australia boasts some of the world’s best mobile networks, but the nature of Australia’s geography and its population distributions mean that while 98.8 percent of Australian households have network coverage, that same coverage extends to only 30 percent of the Australian land mass.
5G Advanced and Low Earth Orbit satellites
The implications are clear. If you’re safe at home in Australia, even in a relatively remote community, chances are high that you have good mobile coverage. But venture into the outback, and it soon disappears. We’ve all seen those famous road Australian road signs warning of no fuel, food or drinks for the next thousand kilometers. 15 minutes into such a stretch, your mobile signal is likely to disappear – and that’s arguably where you need it more than ever in the event of mechanical failure or some other emergency.
All that is set to change over the next two years as Australian networks switch to 5G Advanced. Not only will this feature more energy-efficient hardware than is currently in use, it will also connect to Low Earth Orbit satellites, dramatically improving coverage. Once the switchover has taken place, you will be able to visit the most remote spots in Australia and make calls, send texts or access the internet.
Good news for Australia’s casino gamers
Of course, the primary benefit of 5G Advanced is that it can reduce inconvenience and even save lives for those who encounter emergency situations in the outback. It will be a Godsend for Australian farmers, truckers and adventurers. But let’s be honest here, it’s the 2020s and most of us feel more than a little lost if we can’t get online to check social media and play a few games online after a busy day.
Network providers are already warning that 5G Advanced will not offer the same data speeds and low latency as regular 5G, so for some types of gaming that might be an issue. Of course, Australia is a nation famed for its love of pokies (see https://www.australiainternetpokies.com/mobile-pokies/ for full information) and these type of casino games will play perfectly well at a lower data speed.
Part of a wider transformation
The step up to 5G Advanced across Australia is a game-changer in more ways than one, but it is only part of a broader communication revolution taking place in Australia and beyond. For now, the use of Low Earth Orbit satellites will complement traditional mobile towers, because these offer the high-speed and low-latency service that we have come to expect. But it is just the tip of the iceberg.
Network operators are already working the dawn of 6G connectivity into their long-term strategies. This will probably arrive in Australia in around the end of the decade in 2029 or 2030 (Techradar goes into more details at https://www.techradar.com/news/6g). That will provide a permanent solution that brings high speed and low latency connections to even the more remote corner of the globe.
Until then, 5G Advanced is, without doubt, the way forward for Australians who want to keep in touch – and to keep playing their favorite mobile games – wherever the road might lead them.
