Vodafone Australia finally launches its 5G network, will offer 5G roaming overseas

Vodafone 5G
(Image credit: Vodafone)

Living vicariously through the old adage of 'better late than never', Vodafone has finally fired up its 5G network in Australia, with the telco switching on its first 5G sites today around Parramatta in Sydney's west.

Vodafone's 5G services will be progressively switched on from mid-2020 across parts of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra, with 650 sites planned as part of the telco's first 5G rollout phase, and "thousands more on our roadmap over coming years," according to Vodafone CEO Iñaki Berroeta.

The best part of this announcement? Berroeta also revealed that “When 5G arrives to our customers with 5G devices, they will get 5G network access at no extra charge,” a prospect that should be very enticing to those looking for a reason to upgrade.

Additionally, Vodafone's AU$5 international roaming fee will soon extend to 5G, allowing the telco's customers to access super-fast mobile data while travelling in selected 5G-ready countries.

Along with the above announcements, Vodafone Australia also revealed that it will be selling its first 5G enabled devices, namely Samsung's Galaxy S20 range, both in-store and online from tomorrow.

Stephen Lambrechts
Senior Journalist, Phones and Entertainment

Stephen primarily covers phones and entertainment for TechRadar's Australian team, and has written professionally across the categories of tech, film, television and gaming in both print and online for over a decade. He's obsessed with smartphones, televisions, consoles and gaming PCs, and has a deep-seated desire to consume all forms of media at the highest quality possible. 

He's also likely to talk a person’s ear off at the mere mention of Android, cats, retro sneaker releases, travelling and physical media, such as vinyl and boutique Blu-ray releases. Right now, he's most excited about QD-OLED technology, The Batman and Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga.

Latest in Vodafone
Vodafone DreamLab
Want to help fight Covid-19? Your phone can support research while you sleep
Network Guide - Vodafone
Which is the best Vodafone phone?
Ofcom riles Vodafone over 4G trail
Ofcom riles Vodafone over 4G trial
Vodafone 555 Blue
Vodafone 555 Blue review
The 555 Blue - just the start for Vodafone?
Vodafone planning wider range of Facebook phones
HTC Evo 3D delayed, according to Vodafone
Vodafone pulls HTC Evo 3D, citing 'delays'
Latest in News
Open AI
OpenAI unveiled image generation for 4o – here's everything you need to know about the ChatGPT upgrade
Apple WWDC 2025 announced
Apple just announced WWDC 2025 starts on June 9, and we'll all be watching the opening event
Hornet swings their weapon in mid air
Hollow Knight: Silksong gets new Steam metadata changes, convincing everyone and their mother that the game is finally releasing this year
OpenAI logo
OpenAI just launched a free ChatGPT bible that will help you master the AI chatbot and Sora
An aerial view of an Instavolt Superhub for charging electric vehicles
Forget gas stations – EV charging Superhubs are using solar power to solve the most annoying thing about electric motoring
NetSuite EVP Evan Goldberg at SuiteConnect London 2025
"It's our job to deliver constant innovation” - NetSuite head on why it wants to be the operating system for your whole business