Telstra grabs the LG V50 ThinQ and confirms it’s stocking Oppo’s 5G phone
Telstra is boosting the ranks of 5G phones in its portfolio with new devices from LG and Oppo.
At MWC19 in Barcelona, Telstra has detailed more of the handsets it intends to bring to Australian consumers first when it launches its 5G mobile network.
Telstra had already announced that it had scored the exclusive on the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G last week, also announcing a deal where you can score Samsung's new 5G phone when it launches if you pre-order a Samsung Galaxy S10+ through Telstra now.
Still, back at CES, Telstra CEO Andy Penn had promised multiple 5G handsets as Telstra exclusives, and today he confirmed one we already knew about and (more or less) pre-announced another phone set to actually launch later today.
At its own media event, Oppo had confirmed that the upcoming Oppo 5G handset would be heading to both Telstra and Optus. That was notable because it's the first 5G handset announced for the Optus 5G network, but it will also be available for Telstra customers.
Also coming to Telstra 5G will be the LG V50 ThinQ. LG technically hasn't announced the LG V50 ThinQ with its own launch quite yet, though it is expected to launch the LG G8 ThinQ in Barcelona later in the day.
Telstra says that it's snaffled up the rights to LG's 6.4 inch phone with a 4,000mAh battery. That's an interesting move for LG, as it's been some time since it offered a flagship phone on contract terms with any carrier.
"There are two key components to bringing 5G to life – you need the network technology and you need compatible devices. Our network has been ready for some time, and we're now even closer to having 5G-compatible devices available for our customers," said Andy Penn, Telstra CEO.
"Traffic on our mobile network has continued to soar by around 40% year-on-year, which is why we are focussed on delivering a superior 5G mobile service to our customers first and foremost, and in high demand areas," he said.
While Telstra confirmed both phones today, as well as reiterating its Samsung Galaxy S10 5G phone deal, it's yet to announce concrete details of its overall 5G mobile rollout strategy or plan pricing.
We know that the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G is due to arrive in Australia before the middle of the year, so presumably Telstra will get around to revealing those kinds of details any day now.
For more news from MWC 2019, check out our MWC 2019 news hub.
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