5G versus 4G

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What are 4G and 5G technology?

What are the key differences between 5G and 4G?

How fast is 5G compared to 4G?

Where is 5G available in Australia?

How far along is Australia’s rollout of 5G technology?

What can we do with 5G connectivity?

Is exposure to 5G radio towers harmful to my health?

Where can I compare internet plans?

Long story short

4G and 5G are generations of mobile wireless technology

4G can power streaming and gaming, while 5G is faster, more reliable, and built for the future.

5G offers higher bandwidth and much lower latency than 4G

It moves more data faster and reduces lag to just 1 millisecond for smoother online experiences.

5G is now in every capital city and expanding fast in regional areas

Australia has over 20,000 5G base stations, tripling since 2021 – and more are coming.

What are 4G and 5G technology?

4G and 5G are both wireless cellular networks that can connect our phones and home to the internet through radio waves sent from nearby towers. 4G is the fourth generation of mobile network technology, released that was faster and of higher quality than the previous generation (3G). 5G or fifth-generation mobile is the latest advance to 4G, with higher efficiency, high-speed downloads and higher data limits. 5G was introduced because 4G was showing signs that it wouldn’t be able to keep up with growing internet needs and AI applications, which were becoming more common.

Both 4G (or 4G LTE) and 5G are forms of mobile wireless connectivity. This is how you access the internet from your phone or other internet connections, like mobile broadband, wi-fi and home wireless broadband. Like its predecessors, 5G is not a single product but an industry standard. Using updated technology, internet providers and phone companies transmit 5G over radio waves. Our phones or other devices pick up the waves, and we get online.

What are the key differences between 5G and 4G?

Chiefly, 5G has faster speeds and lower latency (how long it takes data to travel between your device and the network) than 4G. Latency on a 5G network can be as low as 1 millisecond, while the latency on a 4G network is as high as 30 milliseconds or sometimes more. 5G also allows more homes and businesses to access 5G networks without worrying about internet dropouts or slow load times.

When looking at 4G vs 5G for everyday smartphone use, 5G can mean high definition playbacks, meaning 8K streaming instead of 4K and at a faster download speed, too. 5G cellular technology is also more reliable in crowded areas, like a packed shopping centre in December, with 5G supporting hundreds more connected devices than 4G can. Another advantage of 5G is its efficiency. It requires less power to transmit data, which means it drains less of your mobile battery. It’s so efficient that it only requires 10% of the mobile battery usage than 4G does.

How fast is 5G compared to 4G?

On average, 5G can be up to about 10 times faster than 4G. While 4G download speeds can get to around 55 megabits per second (Mbps), 5G download speeds can reach around 210 Mbps, depending on your plan. But at its peak, 5G download speeds can reach up to 20 gigabits per second under certain configurations (Gbps) (that’s 20,000 Mbps), which far exceeds 4G capabilities.

Let’s put that in a real-world perspective. If you want to download a 2-hour movie in Ultra HD or 4K, it might have an average file size of 14 gigabytes. To download that movie with 4G (at 55 Mbps) it’d take just over 30 minutes, but with 5G (at 210 Mbps), it would only need just over 8 minutes.

Helpful tip

A lot of 5G home internet plans come with unlimited data, but mobile internet plans usually have data caps. Things like 4K video streaming and online gaming can eat through your mobile data cap pretty quickly. If you download large files or just don’t want to worry about being stuck with crawling loading speeds once you hit that data limit, an unlimited plan might be the way to go.

Julia Paszka

General Manager – Utilities & Credit Cards

Where is 5G available in Australia?

As of 2025, 5G is available in every capital city in Australia (depending on your network), and is expanding significantly in regional areas. 76% of mobile sites in major cities are 5G capable, while remote regions are sitting at around 26%, which is higher than 2024 levels.¹ACCC – Mobile Infrastructure report 2025

How far along is Australia’s rollout of 5G technology?

Australia’s 5G rollout is advancing, with all capital cities at least partially included within the 5G covered area, depending on your provider. By the end of 2025, Australia had nearly 20,000 operational 5G base stations installed across the country. This is a huge jump from 2021, when it only had around 4,000 operational base stations.²ACCC – Mobile Infrastructure report 2025 In 2024, Telstra (who has the most 5G coverage) had a coverage area that reached about 87% of Australians across the country, and while that’s a large percentage already, the rollout is still increasing to help people across the country get the connection and high-quality internet they need.³Telstra – What’s next for Australia’s best, largest and more reliable mobile network

What can we do with 5G connectivity?

5G connectivity means faster data speeds, lower latency and improved real-time communication. This can mean better quality streaming and video calls for life at home, but it can also improve efficiency and extend the reach of businesses and other services. In hospitals, this could mean treating someone on the spot hundreds of kilometres away; in busy city centres, it could mean improving road safety.

More specifically, here are some ways 5G can be used:

• real-time access for telemedicine and telesurgery – including surgical robots – making it possible to treat and operate on patients remotely
• wearable health devices that track and transmit data to medical professionals
• fully connected indoor smart farms that use 5G sensors and AI image recognition to grow quality crops all year round
• systems that help improve road safety and reduce congestion using real-time data from connected vehicles and sensors.

Is exposure to 5G radio towers harmful to my health?

No, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency states that there are no established health effects from 5G radio waves. You may have heard some misinformation and rumours about 5G. However, 5G networks use radio waves similar to those used in the 4G network, just at higher frequency bands. Higher frequencies don’t mean higher exposure, and in other areas where higher radio frequencies are used, like airport and remote sensors, there have been no negative impacts on individual health.

Where can I compare internet plans?

Want to make sure your home is connected up to the fastest internet available? Or maybe you just want to check that you’ve secured the best internet plan for your needs? At iSelect you can compare online from a range of plans in a matter of minutes.