SINGAPORE - The first 5G video call has been made between Singapore and Australia.

Made with an upcoming phone by Chinese maker Oppo using Ericsson's networks, Singtel engineers in Singapore and Optus engineers in Australia successfully conducted an end-to-end 5G video call.

They also demonstrated the use of augmented reality (AR) by making instant on-screen annotations which can be seen by both parties on the same screen.

Mr Mark Chong, Singtel's group chief technology officer, said in a statement: "This call is a significant marker in our journey to 5G as we develop a robust 5G ecosystem to ensure that our enterprise and consumer customers will enjoy an enhanced connectivity experience. 5G is a key enabler that will bring the future of AR, autonomous vehicles and smart cities closer to reality."

The president of Oppo Apac, Mr Peter Huang, said: "The call is another 5G first for Oppo, and demonstrates our commitment to become one of, if not the first manufacturer to commercialise a 5G smartphone."

Mr Martin Wiktorin, Ericsson's country head for Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines, added: "With the establishment of 5G connectivity on smartphones soon becoming a reality, consumers and enterprises will be able to unleash the full potential of 5G by integrating this new technology into their daily lives and operations."

The call is the latest effort to bring 5G - the fifth generation of mobile communications that promises tremendous data speeds and reduced latency - to Singaporeans.

It will also have the ability to accommodate more users and connected devices including self-driving cars.

Last month, Singtel and Ericsson set up 5G Garage, Singapore's first live 5G facility, located at Singapore Polytechnic, where users can test the 5G innovations they are developing.

In November last year, StarHub and Nokia conducted a series of tests over a live pilot 5G network intalled at StarHub's Ubi headquarters.

The tests demonstrated, among others, how sports fans can turn to virtual reality headsets to enjoy live events virtually lag-free over 5G.