Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC has announced it will ship a batch of 5G mobile smartphones to Telstra in the first half of next year. HTC will use Telstra and US mobile carrier Sprint to test and develop the new device.

HTC says it has chosen Telstra, as it is expected to be the first telecom operator to complete 5G deployments in Australia.

The Taiwan company is said to be accelerating its development of blockchain-focused smartphones and new mobile products for the upcoming 5G era.

It also plans to make the Zion a platform for cryptocurrency exchanges, should anyone still be interested.