Extra details about Telstra’s 5G exclusivity deals

Details about Telstra’s exclusivity deals for 5G smartphone offerings are coming to light, with three manufacturers confirmed so far.

The new Samsung Galaxy S10 5G will be offered first through Telstra, but will make its way to other telcos later in the year. The LG V50 ThinQ 5G is exclusive to Telstra and will not be available through other telcos. OPPO is vague on details, but Telstra customers will have access to its 5G handset when it launches – Optus will also offer the OPPO 5G phone, although not necessarily at the same time.

“Telstra is 5G-ready now,” said Andrew Penn, CEO, Telstra. “When we began rolling out 5G technology across Australia back in August, we also started working closely with the major mobile brands and leading manufacturers of 5G handsets. This was so Telstra customers would not only be the first to access to 5G smartphones but also have a variety of products to choose from.”

5G is already enabled at certain Telstra sites across many major cities in Australia, and the rollout is continuing throughout the year. Competing telcos are not expected to have 5G functionality until later this year or through next year.