Stock Pick

  • We Tested 5G Networks Across Asian Cities. The Verdict: Patchy

    We Tested 5G Networks Across Asian Cities. The Verdict: Patchy(Bloomberg) — Fifth-generation networking hype has been in full force since Qualcomm Inc. declared “5G is here, and it’s time to celebrate” in February of last year. The reality, however, has required patience from consumers due to the time needed to roll out the new networks and the dearth of applications to put additional speed to compelling use.A year after South Korea launched the world’s first full commercial 5G network and months after China opened the world’s biggest, Bloomberg News reporters tested the leading carriers in both countries to see how far 5G has gotten. Tests in Hong Kong and Tokyo showed similar results — gaps in coverage that could leave most early adopters waiting for networks to reach full speed.Smartphone makers have swept in with a flood of 5G devices this year, with Samsung Electronics Co., Huawei Technologies Co. and Xiaomi Corp. all pushing the new technology without asking for much higher prices or design compromises. Millions of 5G phones have already been sold, and for the billions of people not yet on the bandwagon, the new wireless standard will soon be the default option anyway.Carriers aren’t moving quite as fast. They’re investing billions of dollars to set up and expand their 5G networks, but the technical design of this new standard demands high network density to provide the advertised stratospheric speeds. Once they have enough masts in place, they aim to recoup the initial costs by offering more bandwidth-hungry add-ons, such as Nvidia’s GeForce Now game-streaming service, which SoftBank Corp. launched in Japan on June 10.Where it’s available, even without hitting its max theoretical speeds, 5G is an impressive upgrade for most consumer applications. For example, at a gigabit per second (1Gbps), a user could download a 9-hour audiobook in less than 1 second, according to Fastmetrics, a U.S.-based internet service provider. Even at 1/10 of that speed, 100 megabits per second, a 45-minute TV show takes only 16 seconds, Fastmetrics estimates.Carriers in North America, Europe and Australia have also set up 5G, with so far underwhelming results for consumers. In March tests conducted by RootMetrics in the U.S., the choice appeared to be between fast speed with negligible availability — Verizon Wireless Inc. recorded a max speed of 846Mbps with 3.1% availability in Chicago — or wider availability without much of a speed bump — T-Mobile US Inc. covered 57% of Washington but at a less impressive 148Mbps.Read more: 5G Report Card: T-Mobile Has Widest Coverage, Verizon Is FastestTo test download speeds and coverage, we sent four reporters out into Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo and Hong Kong with 5G phones and speed-measuring apps. Here’s what those tests showed:SeoulKT, the No. 2 South Korean carrier, has improved 5G service since the commercial debut in April 2019, though it still lacks the high-frequency airwaves necessary to reach top download speeds in the range of 20Gbps. SK Telecom Co., the country’s largest carrier, achieves a download speed of 1.5Gbps inside its headquarters, which drops to 1Gbps in the same building’s lobby.KT’s average 5G data speed ranges between 800Mbps to 1Gbps, the company said in an email. “It is hard to simply compare data speeds in South Korea, which has nationwide services, with other countries that only have test services or have services in a few cities,” the company said.BeijingIn Beijing, tests using a Huawei P40 Pro phone showed 5G service was consistent enough to play high-definition (1080p) video while riding in a car. There was no 5G signal inside the subway and the shopping mall in Guomao, where luxury brands from Tiffany to Vacheron Constantin are sold. Most of the Zhongnanhai district, home of the central government, has no 5G coverage, according to a map provided by China Mobile.A China Mobile representative in Beijing emailed a video showing download speed exceeding 1.1Gbps at Beijing Daxing International Airport. The representative had no further comment.Hong KongTests using a Huawei P40 Pro showed streaming of high-resolution 4K video was smooth outdoors even in a moving vehicle. The fastest download speed was recorded in the carrier’s flagship store in the city’s central business district.The carrier expects its 5G network to “penetrate deeply” in Hong Kong, Alex Cheng, China Mobile principal engineer, said in an email.TokyoAt two locations in the city, the 5G signal was strong inside the Docomo shop but became unstable a short distance away from it, using a Samsung Galaxy S20 phone and Netflix’s speed test app. Both of Tokyo’s main airports, two Olympics facilities and Tokyo Sky Tree are among the covered spots. Two more waves of 5G network expansion are planned by the end of July and end of October, the carrier said.“The initial rollout is going as planned,” Docomo said in an email.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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  • Where to invest $10,000 into ASX 200 shares immediately

    Buy Shares

    If you’re lucky enough to have $10,000 sitting in a savings account and no immediate use for it, I would suggest you consider putting it to work in the share market where the potential returns are vastly superior.

    But where should you invest these funds? I think the two top ASX 200 shares listed below would be great options:

    Nanosonics Ltd (ASX: NAN)

    The first ASX 200 share to consider buying with $10,000 is Nanosonics. It is a leading infection control company which provides a market-leading disinfection system for ultrasound probes. I’m a big fan of Nanosonics’ business model. As well as selling the units, the company also sells consumable products that the system requires to function. This means that as its installed base grows, so too does its recurring consumables revenues.

    The good news is that its installed base, which is growing quickly, now stands at 22,500 units. This represents just under 19% of its global market opportunity of 120,000 units. I feel this gives it a long runway for growth from this product alone. However, another big positive is the impending release of new products targeting unmet needs. Not a lot is known about the products, but management has revealed that they have similar market opportunities. If they are a success, I believe they could underpin explosive growth in the 2020s.

    NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)

    Another ASX 200 share which I think could be a good option for a $10,000 investment is NEXTDC. It is a data centre operator with a portfolio of world class centres in key locations across Australia. NEXTDC has been growing at a very strong rate over the last few years thanks to the increasing demand for capacity at its centres.

    This has continued in FY 2020, with NEXTDC reporting revenue of $97.7 million and underlying operating earnings of $50.9 million in the first half. This represents an 8% and 21% increase, respectively, over the prior corresponding period. Pleasingly, since then, demand for its data centres has increased thanks partly to the pandemic. The work from home initiative appears to have accelerated the shift to the cloud and looks set to underpin an even stronger second half result. And with more and more infrastructure moving to the cloud, I expect this positive trend to continue for some time to come. This could make NEXTDC  a great long term option for investors.

    And if you have some funds leftover, the five recommendations below look like potential market beaters…

    5 stocks under $5

    We hear it over and over from investors, “I wish I had bought Altium or Afterpay when they were first recommended by The Motley Fool. I’d be sitting on a gold mine!” And it’s true.

    And while Altium and Afterpay have had a good run, we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $5 a share!

    Learn More

    *Extreme Opportunities returns as of June 5th 2020

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    James Mickleboro owns shares of NEXTDC Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Nanosonics Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nanosonics Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

    The post Where to invest $10,000 into ASX 200 shares immediately appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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  • 3 ASX 200 shares to watch this week

    man peering closely at computer screen, watching ASX 200 share prices

    It was a disappointing end to the week for ASX 200 shares as the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) closed down 2.5% at 5,847.80 points.

    Last week I was watching Stockland Corporation Ltd (ASX: SGP), SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited (ASX: SKC) and Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC).

    The Stockland share price finished the week down 8.84% as the Aussie REIT pared back its recent gains. SkyCity shares finished down 4.10% while the Westpac share price slumped 4.79% to $17.89 on Friday.

    After a disheartening week for last week’s top picks, here are 3 shares I’ll be watching in the week ahead.

    3 ASX 200 shares to watch this week

    I think the Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) share price is worth watching this week. 

    The Aussie oil and gas operator’s shares slumped 8.52% lower last week as one of many underperforming ASX 200 shares.

    However, I think the technical environment remains pretty solid for Woodside. Factories are starting to ramp up production again and travel restrictions are being slowly eased.

    That’s good news for the oil price and producers like Woodside over the next few months. Another ASX 200 share that could be worth a look is Scentre Group (ASX: SCG).

    Scentre owns and operates Westfield shopping centres across Australia and New Zealand. Lower foot traffic due to coronavirus restrictions has hammered the Scentre share price 40.21% lower in 2020.

    However, if restrictions continue to ease in Australia and New Zealand, we could see retail stores bounce back quickly this year.

    Finally, one defensive ASX 200 share to watch this week is Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM). The Newcrest share price jumped 3.58% higher last week as investors got nervous.

    If we see more volatility in the week ahead, I expect ASX gold shares like Newcrest to outperform once again.

    Foolish takeaway

    These are just a few of the ASX 200 shares I’m watching at the moment. As always, I believe it’s important to focus on a long-term investment horizon rather than getting too caught up in daily or weekly moves.

    For more shares to add your watchlist, check out these 5 ASX shares under $5 today!

    5 stocks under $5

    We hear it over and over from investors, “I wish I had bought Altium or Afterpay when they were first recommended by The Motley Fool. I’d be sitting on a gold mine!” And it’s true.

    And while Altium and Afterpay have had a good run, we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $5 a share!

    Learn More

    *Extreme Opportunities returns as of June 5th 2020

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Ken Hall has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Scentre Group and Sky City Entertainment Group Ltd. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

    The post 3 ASX 200 shares to watch this week appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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