StarHub, U Mobile to test 5G roaming in Singapore, Malaysia

StarHub and Malaysian mobile service provider U Mobile will conduct 5G standalone roaming trials in Singapore and Malaysia starting in the first quarter of next year, they said in a joint media statement yesterday.

The trials will be conducted in collaboration with Huawei, and will be done independent of 4G network infrastructure.

This is unlike many other roaming trials that use 5G non-standalone technology, the telcos said.

Use cases such as "live" cross-border holographic calls and multi-party video calls will be tested.

StarHub and U Mobile said they will examine aspects such as the "right commercial price point" for 5G roaming in both countries.

The trials will help establish key aspects such as the right network configurations and settings for 5G roaming.

StarHub's chief technology officer Chong Siew Loong said: "There is no better place to start 5G roaming trials than in Malaysia, our closest neighbour and one of our customers' top travel destinations."

U Mobile is already a roaming partner of StarHub, and the 5G roaming trial is the third 5G-related initiative StarHub has announced this month.

Earlier in the month, it announced a partnership with the National University of Singapore to use 5G technologies to design and test virtual reality and artificial intelligence solutions in a net-zero energy building.

It also held a two-day pop-up 5G showcase for the public at its StarHub Green headquarters in Ubi.

Shares of mainboard-listed StarHub closed 0.71 per cent higher at $1.42 yesterday.

THE BUSINESS TIMES

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 31, 2019, with the headline StarHub, U Mobile to test 5G roaming in Singapore, Malaysia. Subscribe