Whether it is time to switch to 5G depends entirely on your specific needs, location, and budget. There is no universal "yes" or "no" answer, as 4G remains a reliable and sufficient option for most users today.
Is 5G Worth It? Here's the honest answer: It depends on you. Owning a 5G smartphone comes with perks—faster downloads, smoother streaming, better gaming—but whether it's worth the upgrade really boils down to a few personal factors: your location, how you use your phone, and how long you plan to keep it.
5G may be the new standard of wireless internet, but 4G still has its uses, especially if you need online backup. 4G technology has been available for 15 years, and experts consider 2030 to be the year we'll begin phasing it out.
5G Speeds in Australia: Benefits
While 4G networks typically offered download speeds of up to 100 Mbps (megabits per second), 5G can reach staggering speeds of up to 10 Gbps (gigabits per second). This means that a movie that would take minutes to download on 4G can now be downloaded in mere seconds on a 5G network.
The biggest difference between 4G and 5G is the speed. 5G has the potential to be up to 10 times faster, because the way 5G works means that it uses smaller wavelengths and much higher frequencies which can support far more simultaneous connections than 4G.
Cybersecurity risks: The expansion of 5G networks increases the number of connected devices, raising the threat of cybersecurity vulnerabilities. With more data traveling over the network, the potential for cyberattacks or breaches becomes a concern.
Sunsetting old 2G/3G infrastructure makes way for new networks, and therefore older cellular devices must be retired. The good news is that 4G LTE will be available for at least a decade to come, and will co-exist with 5G networks.
(But if you were to build a brand new network today, you would likely use 5G only.) They won't even starting thinking about 4G obsolescence until 6G is established, in the early 2030s.
5G can be faster and more flexible with easier setup, but NBN (especially full fibre) offers more reliable, stable, and consistent speeds for heavy users and in areas with poor 5G coverage, making NBN generally better for stable home broadband and 5G better for portability or as an alternative where NBN isn't available, though NBN 500 plans offer great value for speed.
5G can connect more devices than 4G
5G solves this issue by intelligently transmitting to each device, with high precision – which enables it to handle as much as 1 million devices per square kilometer. This precision reduces the noise in 5G, so that it is easier to connect many devices.
Factors such as network congestion, signal strength and coverage, device limitations, background apps, data throttling, and SIM card issues all play a role in your 4G experience.
So even with a 5G SIM card and plan, a 4G phone will still connect only to 4G networks. If you want to take advantage of 5G speeds, the only solution is upgrading to a 5G-ready phone.
A modern 4G phone in 2025 can still provide an excellent mobile experience for most daily tasks. You can expect: Reliable internet browsing and social media use. Smooth video streaming in HD.
Yes, cellular networks like 5G will always consume more battery than Wi-Fi. The reason is simple: the further you are from a 5G tower, the harder your phone has to work to maintain a connection.
Definitely! As 5G is a big improvement from 4G in terms of latency rate and speed, it offers a far better gaming experience. If you're a gamer, 5G will enable you to play online games without a hitch - on both mobile and gaming devices as well as laptops through a hotspot.
While 5G can deliver dramatically faster speeds in ideal conditions, 4G provides reliable, consistent performance that meets most users' needs for streaming, video calls, social media, and web browsing.
Disadvantages of 5G Technology:
Conventional network systems, like cable and fiber infrastructure, provide better connectivity and reliability overall. 5G will not replace cable or fiber internet. Rather, 5G can complement wired internet services.
Theoretically, it's a hundred times faster than existing 4G technology, but this depends on your choice of network, your location, the type of connection you have, and your device, among other factors. But for most customers, expect speeds faster than 4G mobile and some NBN plans.
The Telstra Mobile Network provides 4G coverage reaching 99.7% of the population and extending over a 3M square kilometres. Our 5G coverage is available in most Metro and many Regional areas and continues to expand.
Here are some of the most popular devices to be affected: Alcatel 2038 Alcatel OneTouch 2045 Apple iPhone 5 Apple iPhone 5C Apple iPhone 5S Aspera A42 Doro PhoneEasy 623 OPTUS Doro 6521 Google Pixel 2 XL Huawei E5331 Huawei E5251s-2 Huawei Y6 Prime Nokia 301 Oppo A57 Oppo F1s Oppo F5 Youth Optus X Smart Samsung Galaxy ...
In May 2019, Telstra and Ericsson rolled-out and activated 5G together in 10 cities in Australia.
1 - 5G is considerably faster than 4G
Whilst 4G has a maximum download speed of 300 Mbps, 5G can achieve download speeds of 10 Gbps; this means that with 5G, you can stream media, interact with apps and play games faster than on a 4G network, with reduced buffering and lagging.
Once 3G is switched off, apps like WhatsApp and Facebook won't work when you're out and about, and you won't be able to receive emails or look things up on websites when you're not connected to Wi-Fi. For now, you will still be able to make and receive phone calls and send and receive texts as normal.
While 2G and 3G networks are now being phased out globally, both 4G and 5G networks continue to coexist. If a 5G network isn't available, the phone will automatically connect to a 4G network, or possibly an earlier network service, depending on availability.