Spark says we'll be 'wowed' by 5G

Spark boss Simon Moutter and Communications Minister Clare Curran – accompanied by a security robot – have kicked off New Zealand's first live trial of 5G mobile technology.

The presence of the security robot, which Spark staff admitted was a bit of a gimmick, caused one confused motorist to slow to a stop on a green light on in front of a grinning entourage of officials and local and Chinese telecommunications executives on Bowen St.

Curran got a download speed of 9.3 gigabits-per-second when she pressed the button on speed-test equipment on a van parked a few hundred feet away from two 5G antennas that Spark has erected on the Stout St Exchange Building.

TOM PULLAR-STRECKER/STUFF Security robots could benefit from 5G technology as it would allow them to stream footage faster in higher definition.

​Moutter said 5G – the next big step up from 4G mobile technology – would transform the way people lived and worked.

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"It will deliver significantly faster speeds and more capacity than previous generations of mobile technology and will support massive connectivity of multiple devices."

By 2020 it was estimated there would be at least four internet-connected devices for everyone on the planet, Moutter said.

TOM PULLAR-STRECKER/STUFF Communications Minister Clare Curran presses the button a 5G speed test in Wellington.

The higher speeds and lower lag of 5G would be important for innovations such as driverless electric cars, he said.

Spark said 5G would allow driverless cars to respond to changes in road conditions in a hundredth of a second.

"We are well advanced at Spark in our planning for 5G and we do intend to lead this change," Moutter said.

People could expect 5G services from Spark in about 2020, or perhaps earlier if the Government allocated the necessary radio spectrum before then, he said.

The technology for Spark's 5G trial was provided by Chinese company Huawei.

Moutter said Spark would open a 5G lab in Auckland later this year to give customers the opportunity to develop applications and run trials.

Communications Minister Clare Curran said she would take proposals to Cabinet later this year on the process and timing for allocating 5G spectrum.

TOM PULLAR-STRECKER/STUFF Spark managing director Simon Moutter (centre left) is awaiting a decision from Communications Minister Clare Curran (centre right) on spectrum allocation.

​Māori have previously lodged treaty claims for 3G and 4G spectrum only to be rebuffed by previous governments, but received $30 million for a Māori ICT fund as a consolation from the last government.

Curran would not say whether she expected another treaty claim in relation to 5G spectrum, or comment on whether the Government might allocate more money for the Māori ICT fund.

But there would certainly be "consultation with iwi" over the 5G spectrum allocation, she said.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment released a discussion document on 5G on Monday.

It said the international standards for 5G were not fully in place, but "its key specifications and technological building blocks" were being developed and tested.

TOM PULLAR-STRECKER/STUFF 5G speeds can be measured in the gigabits.

The ministry said the media had raised the question of whether there was "room" in New Zealand for multiple 5G networks or whether it would be more cost-effective to build a single network that would be shared between operators.

A single, shared 5G network was being considered in the United States because of network security concerns, it noted.

But the ministry said taking a similar approach here could delay the technology.

"New Zealand has sufficient spectrum available for 5G to support the roll-out of at least three national networks.

"All cellular mobile network operators have indicated their desire to build their own 5G network and compete at the infrastructure level. Given this, there would have to be strong public policy reasons to prevent this occurring," it said.