AUSTRALIANS could access internet downloads as fast as a fibre optic connection from their smartphones by 2023, according to Telstra which revealed plans for a 5G network at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today.

The country’s biggest telco will partner with Ericsson to develop plans for a 5G network that could deliver downloads as fast as one gigabit per second, or the equivalent of a handful of 4K feature films delivered in a heartbeat.

But Telstra networks group managing director Mike Wright said 5G would be about more than just speed, also delivering lower power consumption to extend the battery life of phones connected to it and creating a network ready to connect the internet of things.

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News_Image_File: Need for speed ... Left to right; Telstra mobile products executive director Warwick Bray, networks group managing director Mike Wright; and former CEO David Thodey.

“If it’s just speed we’re talking about we’re doing ourselves a disservice,” he said.

Mr Wright said it was about time for the development of a new mobile phone network, following the 2011 rollout of its 4G network that sped up mobile phone downloads.

“The Gs have come every 10 years,” he said. “There’s been an evolution in the way the networks are used that has come quite rapidly, maybe every five years.”

Mr Wright said plans for the new network were needed to meet demands for video streaming and the growing number of connected devices around the home, from smart televisions to internet-connected appliances such as air conditioners and washing machines.

Telstra’s partnership with Ericsson would see the two companies collaborate on lab and field-based tests, Mr Wright said, with plans to launch a commercial 5G network by 2020.

News_Image_File: Last generation ... Telstra’s Wi-Fi 4G Advanced.

But Australians would not be able to use the network immediately, he said, with history suggesting a three to four-year wait for 5G to become available in phones and for use with computers.

“I don’t think you’ll see fruits of the 5G until at least five years from now,” he said.

In addition to theoretical download speeds of one gigabit per second, Telstra mobile products executive director Warwick Bray said 5G would allow more users to be on the network at once, and would greatly improve “latency,” shortening connection delays that “that affect performance such as video load times”.

In the meantime, Telstra will launch an upgrade to its 4G network, dubbed 4GX, in some capital cities in April, with devices capable of using its 450 megabit per second speeds available later this year.

Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson travelled to Barcelona as a guest of Samsung.