A growing number of consumers in Australia are looking to future 5G technology to supply home internet services, research by Telsyte found.

With a third of households, or about 3 million, interested in using 5G either as a primary or additional access technology in the home as early as 2021, the impact on fixed-line services will be signification, the research company said.

The percentage of Australians aged 16 to 34 looking to subscribe home internet services based on 5G is even higher (41 per cent), it added. Telsyte said around 15 per cent of Australian households are mobile only.

Its report suggests 5G presents opportunities for mobile service providers as well as fixed-line service providers. It predicts that the short-term opportunity will be dual-mode routers using both fixed-line NBN connections and 5G to deliver a hybrid experience. This builds on the approach already used by operators such as Telstra and Vodafone.

The research company believes limited spectrum, a massive increase in data usage and potentially high costs for consumers will limit the number of households that go mobile only.

Fixed wireless option
Telsyte noted there was an opportunity for NBN Co to update existing non-metro fixed wireless equipment with 5G, as well as use it as an option for upgrading the FTTN network in the future.

NBN Co announced in April it would launch 5G trials in the 3.5GHz band in Melbourne to assess how 5G performs as an access technology for delivering fixed wireless access.

5G services are expected to be available in metro areas as early as next year from both Telstra and Optus.

Telstra, the market leader, is in the process of rolling out 5G technology on its network with 15 live sites and plans to have 200 5G-enabled sites across Australia by the end of the year.

Rival Optus announced in February plans to introduce a fixed wireless 5G product in key metro areas by early 2019.