Telstra unveils landmark 5G upgrade offer with Samsung

Telstra customers will be able to upgrade to the 5G future thanks to a landmark partnership with Samsung, following the unveiling of its first 5G-enabled smartphone – the Galaxy S10 5G.

Telstra Consumer Segment Executive Kevin Teoh joined Samsung executives today at Unpacked, which showcased three new 4GX-capable smartphones – the Galaxy S10e, S10 and S10+ – to be released on 08 March and the Galaxy S10 5G, which will come later in the year.

Under the partnership, the Galaxy S10 5G will be available first through Telstra when the smartphone is launched in Australia. In a further win for customers, anyone who purchases a Samsung S10+ through Telstra will be able to upgrade to the 5G-capable Galaxy S10 5G at no extra cost when it is released.

“Telstra has been a global leader in the testing, development and rollout of 5G in Australia and now our customers will be among the first in the world to experience it with Samsung,” Mr Teoh said.

“This delivers the best of both mobile worlds for our customers. Getting their hands on a smartphone by one of the world’s biggest brands, powered by our world leading 4GX technology, and then being able to upgrade to the next generation in mobile technology later in the year is an exciting opportunity that we are looking forward to sharing with them.

“5G-enabled devices are the next step towards customers experiencing the potential of this revolutionary technology with faster downloads, high resolution video streaming with less buffering and better mobile gaming on the go on their new 5G device just the start of its capabilities.

“5G’s ultrafast speeds and lower latency will throw open new digital doors for businesses in particular, so this upgrade offer will also be available to our small and medium business customers. The partnership will also enable a number of strong value offers on Samsung handsets, for small and medium business fleet customers.”

“Under the partnership, the Galaxy S10 5G will be available through Telstra before any other Australian mobile operator when it is released in the first half of 2019.

“With more than 200 Telstra 5G-enabled mobile sites online across the nation and growing, our customers taking up this offer will be at the forefront of this revolutionary technology as well as enjoying the multiple cameras, wireless power sharing, stunning display, sonic fingerprint security and other exciting features on these new Samsung smartphones.”

Customers will also experience the fastest 4G speeds available via our 4GX coverage whenever they are outside of the 5G footprint.

Samsung Vice President, Mobile Division, Garry McGregor said the partnership with Telstra would open up new possibilities to Australian customers.

“Telstra and Samsung have already accomplished a number of Australian firsts together. We achieved the first smartphone 1 Gigabit per second (1Gbps) download on a commercial mobile network on the S9 series last year and we look forward to achieving even more milestones together soon,” Mr McGregor said.

“The arrival of 5G will be a true game-changer for the mobile industry. Samsung is extremely proud to be working closely with Telstra so our Australian customers can be among the first in the world to experience 5G.”

The partnerships are yet another demonstration of Telstra’s 5G leadership, adding to a growing list of national and global firsts including:

• Unveiling the world’s first connection of a 5G mid-band commercial device
• Australia’s first 5G video call
• The world’s first precinct of 5G-enabled Wi-Fi hotspots
• Australia’s first 5G Connected Car
• The world’s first end-to-end 5G non-standalone data call on a commercial mobile network,

Australia’s first 5G customer connection

Telstra’s early rollout of 5G is the culmination of its investment of around $8 billion in its mobile network over the five years to 30 June 2019 to enhance the capacity, capability and reach of Telstra’s network.

Hero Plan:

At launch the Samsung S10+ 128GB will be available on the XL lease plan for $129 a month (for 24 months, min cost $3096) and will come with 160GB of data*, unlimited national and international talk and text**, Peace of Mind Data as well as Telstra’s sports, music and Wi-Fi data inclusions.

Pre-orders of the S10e, S10 and S10+ smartphones also come with bonus Galaxy ear buds.

Full details on all consumer and small business plans will be available at Telstra.com at opening of pre-ordering from 9am AEDT, 21 February 2019

* includes 100GB of bonus data

** to 15 select countries

MORE INFORMATION

The Galaxy S10 5G release date will be announced closer to the Australian launch.

To upgrade, customers must maintain their existing plan and return their S10+ in good working order up to 21 days after the 5G device becomes available.

Telstra initially is deploying 5G into our mobile network in the major capital city CBDs and other select high traffic areas and will be progressively rolling out to other areas. Find out more about Telstra’s 5G at  www.telstra.com.au/coverage-networks/5G