Singtel beats 5G target with 95% outdoor coverage

Singapore's largest telco Singtel has blanketed 95 per cent of outdoor locations here with 5G signals, three years ahead of the target set by the local authorities and paving the way for a future of driverless vehicles, on-the-go cloud gaming and robot-run factories and ports.

Singapore is among the first in the world to have rolled out 5G services nationwide based on dedicated 5G equipment, allowing support for secure, mission-critical applications. Singtel's 5G network covers more than 1,300 outdoor spots, and 400 buildings and train tunnels, it announced yesterday.

"Singapore can now exploit the full capabilities and best applications that 5G can offer, paving the way for innovation... that will propel our country forward," said Singtel group chief executive Yuen Kuan Moon.

For a start, this year's National Day Parade celebration to be held at the Marina Bay floating platform will be live-streamed to a global audience over Singtel's 5G network. Previously, live streaming was done using fixed fibre broadband cables, which are a hassle to set up. Coordination at the command centre and security operations during the parade will also be done using 5G devices.

Of Singtel's 2.84 million postpaid subscribers as at March, more than 480,000 were using 5G services.

StarHub chief technology officer Chong Siew Loong said the telco is "on track" to reach nationwide coverage in the coming months. Most populated areas already have 5G signals. Of its 1.5 million postpaid mobile subscribers as at March, 400,000 were surfing on their 5G handsets.

Simba Telecom, previously known as TPG Telecom, would not say when it plans to launch 5G service. Meanwhile, M1 had said it would have nationwide 5G coverage by this year.

5G networks are said to be 10 times faster than 4G, allowing a high-definition movie to be downloaded in seconds compared with minutes today. They can also connect 1,000 more devices than 4G networks without transmission lag, which is apparent on older networks during video-streaming or video conferencing.

Some enterprise uses have popped up in recent times. Security company Aetos is building an integrated system to connect surveillance cameras, sensors on lifts and fire sprinklers, and sensors on water and energy meters at clients' sites for live monitoring over Singtel's 5G network.

Semiconductor maker Micron Technology will be using Singtel's 5G solutions at its clean room to support automated visual inspections of individual chips, as well as remote operations and maintenance.

M1 and property developer Keppel Land have deployed surveillance robot and camera technologies at the Marina at Keppel Bay to boost security and provide e-concierge services.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore requires telcos here to meet their end-2025 roll-out target using only "standalone" or dedicated 5G gear. The telcos cannot piggyback on existing 4G gear to deliver 5G speeds.

Standalone 5G technologies allow telcos to break away from any lock-in to existing 4G vendors, a contentious issue in the United States and some of its allies due to fears of spying by other countries.

The technologies enable "network slicing" to secure mission-critical operations such as autonomous vehicles navigation or port operations. Network slicing is a way to allow multiple virtual, independent networks to be created on the same physical infrastructure.

Correction note: This article has been edited for accuracy.