Optus 5G comes to North Avoca with more locations planned

More residents will now be able to access 5G mobile broadband after Optus switched on another service on the Central Coast. FIND OUT WHO CAN USE IT.

A tower has been upgraded with 5G technology at North Avoca. Picture: Justin Tallis

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In a move that will no doubt exasperate conspiracy theorists but prove a godsend for families trying to work and school from home, Optus has turned on another 5G service on the Central Coast.

The service is operating from an upgraded tower on Bellevue Crescent, at North Avoca, and is one of the carrier’s first 5G rollouts in Australia.

North Avoca and surrounding residents and businesses will be able to benefit from the next generation of wireless broadband at a time when isolations measures are keeping more people at home and in need of fast, reliable internet than ever.

The upgraded Optus 5G tower is located on Bellevue Cres, North Avoca. Picture: Google

Head of Optus 5G Harvey Wright said the technology transformed the way people stream TV and movies, and would eventually transform the way they watched sport when it returned to screens.

“5G supports multiple device connectivity in the home, offering faster download speeds and the ability for mum and dad to stream HD movies in their lounge, while the kids stream Netflix in their bedroom, or stream music across multiple devices in multiple rooms and at $70 per month our customers can gobble up unlimited data and no capped speeds,” he said.

Optus Head of 5G Harvey Wright. Picture: Supplied

Eligible North Avoca customers can visit their local Optus store to check out the Optus 5G Home Broadband device first-hand or go online and enter their address to find out if their home is within the service area.

Optus is offering a home plan for $70 a month for 24 months with unlimited data, no speed cap and a 50Mbps guarantee.

It is the latest tower to be upgraded to 5G for the carrier, which switched on its first service at Niagara Park in July last year.

Now certain residents can access Optus 5G in parts of the following suburbs including Wadalba, Tumbi Umbi, Somersby, Niagara Park, Lisarow, Koolewong, Kincumber, Gosford, Erina, Copacabana and Bateau Bay.

What is 5G

5G is the fifth generation of wireless or mobile networks, which allows better network capacity and download rates than is possible on 4G or 3G.

Australia’s biggest network providers such as Telstra and Optus are getting busier each year. 5G can relieve congestion on these networks, which means faster mobile internet speeds and better performance.

It is basically faster and more powerful than the existing 4G network, with 5G sending

billions of bits of data per second rather than hundreds of millions with 4G.

Murwillumbah, on the north coast, was one of the first areas to get 5G when Telstra switched on its first base station. It was not well received by conspiracy theorists.

There have been some unfounded health concerns about the technology for some time but the conspiracy theories went into overdrive in January when it was linked to COVID-19 as the first coronavirus cases started to emerge in the US.

Some theories claimed 5G could somehow suppress the immune system and therefore make people more susceptible to catching the virus, while others went as far as suggesting the virus could be transmitted through the technology.

There have been a number of protests around the world including in Mullumbimby on the state’s far north coast where one person was arrested.

However the conspiracy theories have been denounced as “complete rubbish” by the mainstream science and health fraternities.