Australian 5G networks are popping up, but not everyone has access just yet. This isn't unique to Australia; several countries have 5G, but coverage is still a fraction of that provided by 4G.

If you're not familiar, 5G is the next upgrade to mobile networks following 4G. It's many times faster than 4G and opens up lots of new opportunities like smart cities and farms, and untethered AR and VR experiences.

There are three big names to watch for 5G in Australia: Optus, Telstra, and Vodafone. The service that's available to you depends on where you live and if you want mobile service or 5G internet at home.

Optus

One provider is Optus, one of the country's biggest telecom companies. This company began offering both mobile and fixed 5G in late 2019. At launch, there were nearly 300 5G sites in places like Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Queensland.

You can order a 5G Home Internet plan at uncapped speeds. Smaller plans are also available, and they all have unlimited data.

Check out their Network Coverage Maps for an updated listing of their standalone and non-standalone networks.

Telstra

Telstra's 5G network is nowhere near as widespread as its 4G network. You can see this very clearly on Telstra's network coverage map. However, the company has been at work implementing 5G for a while now.

Before 2019, Telstra already had over 200 5G-enabled mobile sites in not only every single major city in Australia but also some less popular locations. Of the thousands of sites now in operation, over 3,000 suburbs and over 200 cities and towns have coverage, including Queensland, Perth, Canberra, Melbourne, Tasmania, Sydney, Brisbane, Launceston, and Toowoomba.

See all of their 5G smartphone options. There are multiple plans you can choose from that work with one of those devices, from a 50 GB plan to one that supports 300 GB.

The company launched a 5G home service in late 2020. You can expect download speeds of up to 600 Mbps.

Vodafone

In 2019, Vodafone partnered with Nokia to provide Vodafone Australia customers with 5G; services started in 2020. The first areas 5G rolled out to include Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Central Coast, and Geelong.

These days, you can get on Vodafone's 5G network in over 3,000 sites across Australia. Check out the Network Coverage Map to see if 5G is available where you are.

Australian MVNO Networks

If you get service from a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), you probably already have access to 5G because those operators buy their access from other telecom companies.

For example, Everyday Mobile from Woolworths, Boost Mobile, Belong, and ALDImobile are on the Telstra network; Kogan Mobile is powered by Vodafone; and amaysim, Exetel, and iPrimus use Optus.