We've made it through another year of major phone releases, and once again, mmWave 5G is - by and large - missing in action. The situation is worse than last year, with Google ditching the feature from the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Previously, Google's Pro Pixels were the only phones in Australia to support mmWave 5G. Google has still included the tech on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, but foldable handsets are still a comparatively niche product.
While Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone have all had some mmWave 5G coverage since late 2021, device manufacturers simply aren't launching devices that support it. It begs the question: is mmWave 5G a dud?
mmWave is the fastest form of 5G, operating on incredibly high frequencies such as 26GHz. It can already reach speeds over 4Gbps, and there's potential for it to deliver speeds over 20Gbps. mmWave 5G also promises the lowest latency of any 5G connection type, but has the shortest range of any 5G technology, and can have issues penetrating buildings.
The lion's share of Australian 5G networks use Sub 6 5G. Sub 6 5G runs on mid-band frequencies similar to 4G. This makes it slower, but gives it longer range and better penetration.
Speaking at the Pixel 9 launch in Australia back in August, Google Australia's Country Manager for Devices and Services, Rory Charlston, pointed to the local prevalence of Sub 6 when asked about why mmWave was dropped.
"We just focused on the use cases we have clear data to support are really useful for people," said Charlston. "For the Australian market, Sub 6 [matches that need], so we decided to focus on Sub 6 for the Pixel 9 range."
mmWave is also missing on Apple and Samsung's latest devices: the iPhone 16 family, the Galaxy Z 6 series, and the Galaxy S24 family.
Last year, Samsung Australia's former Vice President of Mobile Experience Garry McGregor told WhistleOut that the limited coverage and potential cost increases were the main reasons Samsung hadn't brought the tech to Australia.
The lack of mmWave phones makes it tricky for telcos to invest in expanding mmWave networks. A Telstra spokesperson described mmWave as a chicken-and-egg scenario.
"The introduction of mmWave capability to new mobile devices requires a significant investment and many device manufacturers want to first see how many mobile networks are deploying mmWave at scale before they make that investment," said the Telstra spokesperson.
"Of course, the reverse is also true with mobile network operators reluctant to over-invest in mmWave deployment until there is a minimal amount of mmWave device penetration to make use of the band."
The Telstra spokesperson said the telco's 5G network currently has more than 500 mmWave sites, but that figure hasn't changed since August last year.
A Vodafone spokesperson told WhistleOut it still believes in the potential of mmWave, but also noted the lack of compatible devices.
"mmWave remains an important part of our future plans to enhance and extend the capability of our mobile and fixed wireless services," said the Vodafone spokesperson. "While we continue to roll out and test the capability of mmWave, the anticipated device ecosystem to support consumer services is not as mature as we would have expected by now."
An Optus spokesperson told WhistleOut that the telco is confident "there will be exciting growth opportunities for mmWave in the future".
"We continue to work with key stakeholders including device manufacturers for more opportunities to apply mmWave technology so customers can enjoy the benefits of 5G," said the spokesperson.
Like Telstra, Optus has been deploying mmWave in major cities and sporting venues. One key deployment was rebuilding its network at Accor Stadium in December last year, adding the capability.
"We implemented a 5G MIMO architecture distributed antenna system and 5G mmWave solution," an Optus spokesperson told WhistleOut earlier in February. "This infrastructure spans approximately 100 kilometres of connected cabling, over 900 antennas and includes hundreds of associated equipment positioned throughout the venue."
The network is there, even if devices aren't.
While mmWave might be missing in action in the mobile space, it's already making a difference to Fixed Wireless NBN customers.
NBN Co Chief Technology Officer for Wireless Networks, Jason Ashton, told WhistleOut that mmWave 5G is the technology enabling upgrades to the Fixed Wireless portion of the NBN. This has led to the introduction of two new speed tiers, allowing speeds of up to 400Mbps.
That’s not as fast as the maximum potential of mmWave 5G, but a big improvement on older Fixed Wireless NBN plans that were previously limited to 75Mbps.
"We already have several thousand customers connected to mmWave and we intend to increase that number as we roll out the upgrade program," said Ashton. "It’s a step-by-step evolution process and we will continue to look for new ways to boost the access to 5G mmWave across the network in the future."
While mmWave's short range can be challenging when it comes to phones, it's less of an issue when it comes to internet. It's a lot easier to maintain a connection to an antenna on top of a roof than a moving phone. Ashton said NBN Co is also using some software tricks to help with this.
"We’ve spoken publicly about innovative long-range software from Ericsson enabling 5G mmWave transmission up to 6.9km (and beyond), the beauty of our program is the ability to selectively offload traffic to 5G mmWave when required, particularly in areas with high premise density and a good line of sight to the local tower. This traffic switching can happen seamlessly, in micro-seconds, without any impact on the end user."
In a similar vein, Fixed Wireless NBN customers using mmWave still have access to mid-band spectrum - 4G and sub 6 5G - that their connections can fall back into in adverse weather that can disrupt the ultra-high band signals.
NBN Co's use of mmWave seems like the most realistic path for the industry to follow.
Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone have already spent hundreds of millions of dollars on access to mmWave spectrum, so it makes sense that they'll do something with it. There's an argument for future-proofing against congestion, with mobile usage continually increasing, but perhaps mmWave is better suited to being an NBN alternative than a new class of phones.
Standard 5G home internet plans can already rival the NBN for speeds, but are limited by network capacity. Telstra, for example, will only sell a set number of 5G home internet plans per postcode.
All three telcos hold far more mmWave spectrum than they do Sub 6. Telstra owns 60MHz of Sub 6 spectrum in major cities, but 1000MHz of mmWave. Similarly, Optus has between 65MHz and 100MHz in major cities, and 800MHz of mmWave. The greater amount of a spectrum a telco holds, the less chance of congestion, which is especially pertinent when trying to replace a fixed-line connection.
Telstra and Optus have both floated the idea of mmWave 5G in the past - with Optus running an invite-only trial in 2021 - but neither telco had anything new to add on this front.
Nonetheless, fixed wireless internet is an area where mmWave can offer clear benefits in ways that it doesn’t on phones. 5G hasn’t ushered in new mobile technologies in the same way 4G did, so the idea of even faster 5G on a phone might seem a bit pointless.
Addressing regional connectivity problems is a real use case that has clear consumer benefits. The same could be said about mmWave 5G as a potential NBN alternative. Even if mmWave isn’t having an impact in the mobile space, there’s a future for the tech. It just might not be the one we first expected.
These are the most popular NBN 50 plans with WhistleOut users this week:
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#1
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Kogan Internet
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Min. cost $59.90
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Tangerine Telecom
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Min. cost $59.90
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#3
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MATE
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Link not supplied
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Exetel
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Min. cost $60.99
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Buddy Telco
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#6
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Moose NBN
nbn 50/20 Premium
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Min. cost $63.80
Link not supplied
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Superloop
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Dodo
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Swoop
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Link not supplied
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#10
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iiNet
nbn50 Liimitless
$69.99/mth
Min. cost $69.99
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