Spark sets out plans for rollout of 5G network

Spark has set out its plans for state-of-the-art 5G mobile services from 2020, as the rollout gets underway elsewhere in the world.

Spark hopes to role out the 5G wireless communications technology in time for the America's Cup, but its plans were contingent on a government decision on policy and the availability of the necessary spectrum.

Spark chief executive Simon Moutter said the allocation process for the spectrum bands should be completed as soon as possible, and suggested the current competitive model would work well for the rollout of 5G.

Spark would be able to deliver 5G at a lower incremental cost than 4G and 4.5G, he said.

"This means that once 5G is available to deploy, we will have a strong commercial incentive to rapidly build 5G network capability as the primary means of keeping ahead of growing customer demand for more data at faster speeds."

The development of 5G, excluding the cost of spectrum and new and upgraded cell sites, would be funded from within the existing capital expense envelop of between 11 and 12 percent of revenues, he said.

Spark expected the wireless network specific capital costs to be between 25 percent and 35 percent of total capex by 2020, compared with last year's 25 percent.

Mr Moutter said Spark's network costs would be diverted from 4G to 5G development as soon as the spectrum was available.