5G arrives at the MCG, just in time for the AFL Grand Final

This Saturday Richmond and Greater Western Sydney will play in the AFL Grand Final. These two teams will bring a bumper crowd and we’re giving fans an early present by turning on our new 5G coverage at the MCG – it’s 5G at the G.
22 September 2019 · 3 minute read

This Saturday Richmond and Greater Western Sydney will play in the AFL Grand Final.

These two teams will bring a bumper crowd and we’re giving fans an early present by turning on our new 5G coverage at the MCG – it’s 5G at the G. 

Customers on Telstra 5G can expect an enhanced network experience, with faster downloads, better browsing and connectivity. 

The Tiger Army will be in full force as will Giants fans too, and the added network capacity that 5G offers is hugely beneficial at big events like this. 

A crowd of up to 100,000 people is expected to pack the MCG.

Last year we saw a massive 3.8 terabytes of data sent over our mobile network from the MCG alone, up 22% from the previous year. That’s equivalent to 1200 hours of video content or 27 billion SMS messages. 

We’ve been on a mission to connect the MCG to the networks of the future since 2015 when we partnered with the Melbourne Cricket Club, who run the venue, to bolster capacity with an innovative 3G/4G coverage solution. 

The arrival of 5G at the ‘G marks yet another milestone in our relationship with the historic venue. 

That system has performed incredibly well over the last four years, and now, in partnership with Ericsson, we are once against enhancing our coverage at the ground, both with the latest 4G technology as well as introducing 5G coverage for the first time. 

We’re excited to continue our partnership with Ericsson here in Australia. Every time we meet with our friends from Ericsson, we’re always talking about what’s next in our connectivity journey. 

I toured the MCG installation with Ericsson’s Australian CEO, Emilio Romeo on the weekend. Emilio told me that this collaboration with Telstra and MCC is another example of industry working together to drive 5G advancement, and responding to growing demand for increased data and enhanced experiences. And I agree, this ensures Australia remains at the forefront of telecommunications technology. 

The executive team at the MCC, led by CEO Stuart Fox, has also told us that they’re pleased to be the first stadium in Australia to provide patrons with access to 5G. 5G at the ‘G puts the MCC into an elite category to cater to international broadcasters, media and fans. 

While 5G is ready for the opening bounce, we’re not done perfecting the best connectivity experience at the ground. Our engineers in concert with Ericsson will continue to evaluate the deployment and design, making improvements each week to optimise 4G and 5G coverage at the home of footy. 

Play on!

By Nikos Katinakis

Group Executive, Networks & IT

Relocating from Toronto, Nikos Katinakis joined Telstra on 15 October 2018 as Group Executive Networks & IT. In this critical role Nikos is responsible for ensuring Telstra delivers next generation network technologies to create the largest, smartest, safest and most reliable networks in the world. This includes rolling out new technology developments, such as those related to 5G, as well as maintaining and enhancing Telstra’s IT platforms. Nikos was previously Executive Vice President Networks for Reliance Jio in India where he was responsible for rolling out the first pan-India 4G LTE Network, with a focus on data management, and enhancing and stabilising the various operating platforms. In his second Jio assignment, Nikos led their wireline/fixed consumer business with the objective to launch full commercial services across major cities in India, while fully automating and simplifying workflows and the customer experience. Prior to this, Nikos was SVP of Architecture and Technology Development for Network and IT at Canada’s Rogers Communications, as well as Chief Information Security Officer, where he was responsible for the technology strategy, selection, and roadmap that guided Rogers’ deployment of next generation capabilities across all access networks and services.