About 140,000 homes can now get Optus 5G home broadband

Optus today announced an expanded rollout of its 5G home broadband solution, with the service now available at up to 138,800 homes. If you’re at an eligible address, you can sign up online or get a same day setup kit from more than 170 Optus stores. Optus’ 5G home broadband was previously only available at two stores.

Optus says it currently has close to 300 5G sites live across Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and key locations in NSW, Victoria, Queensland. The telco plans to have 1,200 sites live by March 2020. Optus will only sell a 5G home service to customers if it believes there is at least a 95% chance of receiving sufficient 5G coverage at their premises. In the event that there isn’t sufficient coverage, customers can cancel the plan.

Over 200 customers are currently using Optus 5G home broadband. The telco says these customers are currently experiencing average speeds of 164Mbps at peak times, with speeds reaching as high as 400Mbps during less busy periods. 

Optus' 5G home wireless broadband service costs $70 per month and comes with unlimited data. The plan is available on a 24-month contract or on a month-to-month basis. If you go month-to-month, you'll pay a $200 setup fee. 

No matter which option you pick, the plan has a network satisfaction guarantee, which will let you cancel the service if you're not getting speeds of at least 50Mbps. If you make a claim and Optus determines you're eligible to cancel your service, you'll need to return your 5G modem within 30 days of cancellation or you'll be hit with a $330 fee. 

To celebrate the launch, Optus is offering customers their first month free. 

Customers can also bolt on Optus Sport for $14.99 per month, and Fetch TV or $10 per month with the Mini set top box, or $15 per month with the Mighty.

Given it's still early days for 5G, there are a couple of things worth noting. If you sign up for an Optus 5G home broadband plan and then move house, you may not be able to continue using the service at your new address - even though the modem has 4G back-up. Instead, Optus will attempt to provide a replacement internet service. If you choose not to go with Optus' replacement service, you may need to pay a cancellation fee and will have to return your 5G modem.

Optus says it is working closely with Fetch, Apple, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Stan, and others to ensure that their 4K content is optimised for the Optus 5G network. Optus Sport will also be available in 4K next year, starting with select games from the Euro 2020 tournament, the 2020/21 Champions League, and the 2020/21 Premier League. These will only be available to Optus 5G customers, however. 

In terms of mobile, Optus says it won’t charge a premium for 5G at this stage. Telstra is currently offering all customers free 5G access, but only until the middle of next year. After the end of June, 5G will only be included as a standard feature on Telstra’s priciest plans. Otherwise, it will cost an extra $15 per month.

Telstra has its own 5G mobile broadband solution: the HTC 5G Hub. It doesn’t offer any unlimited 5G plans, however, with allowances maxing out at 100GB for $116 per month.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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