Ahh, they kept us hanging did Telstra and HTC on this one – early in December last year Telstra invited me to see some real-world 5G tests at their Sydney HQ.
All looked good. And there was this cool HTC device there but I couldn’t touch or use it – all I knew was it was a 5G Hub.
Here in Barcelona I learn a lot more. Firstly, this is WAY more than a Mobile Hotspot.
Plugged in or on Battery, the HTC 5G Hub takes a 5G signal (or 4G of course) and sends it out to your devices via its own WiFi Network. The battery power means it could be taken to your holiday home, camping or wherever you need internet for your devices.
Swipe the touch screen and HELLO – It’s a mini Android Tablet too!
The felt design around the back – speaker covers, because it’s also your Google Assistant.
The 5 inch touchscreen is small, but good enough for a quick burst of YouTube HOW TO or some info on the screen.
Kevin Teoh, Telstra’s Consumer Segment Executive, said, “We are working with the very best in 5G and Mobile Broadband to bring our customers the next generation of devices and enable a future of greater connectivity. Telstra is proud to partner with HTC on the launch of the world’s first 5G mobile smart hub, which will be Australia’s first 5G mobile device.”
Way too hard to understand the full potential of this device without testing it, but don’t worry, we’ll be doing that.
The HTC 5G Hub is coming in the second quarter of this year, and given the demand for simple home and on the go internet solutions, this could be way more popular than any 5G phone. Interesting times ahead and a very smart pivot for HTC in Australia.
EFTM’s coverage of Mobile World Congress is supported by Huawei, Oppo and Vodafone.
