In a bid to strengthen their ongoing partnership in 5G Centre of Excellence Program, Singtel and Ericsson are set to enable Singapore’s first 5G Pilot Network by Q4 this year. The 5G pilot network will be deployed at one-north in Buona Vista, the country’s science, business and IT hub. Renowned for its early embracing of new technology, the move is a significant landmark towards making 5G a reality in Singapore.
Using Ericsson’s 3GPP standards-compliant 5G technology with the trial spectrum allocated by Singapore’s Info-Communications Media Development Authority (IMDA), the pilot network will deliver 5G coverage with enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) speed and low latency communications. Industries such as transportation, healthcare and manufacturing can leverage 5G to accelerate digital transformation and deploy advanced automation technologies. Enterprises can also work with Singtel and Ericsson at one-north to develop new 5G use cases and tap the business potential of 5G. Using the 5G pilot network, Singtel and Ericsson will conduct drone trials later this year at one-north.
The 5G pilot network was announced at Singtel’s and Ericsson’s Bringing 5G to Life event, held at Singtel Comcentre. At the same event, Singtel and Ericsson demonstrated innovative 5G use cases, including cutting-edge 3D augmented reality (AR) streaming over a 5G network operating in the 28GHz millimeter wave spectrum. The first-of-its-kind demonstration enabled participants to view and interact with lifelike virtual objects such as a photorealistic human anatomy and a 360-degree image of the world. The immersive experience was then streamed in real-time to a remote audience via 5G.
Performed in collaboration with leading immersive AR technology firm MetaVision, the demonstration illustrated the possibilities of using 3D AR technology for large-scale remote learning in various industries such as medical and education, enabled by an ultra-high-speed and low-latency 5G network.
Singtel and Ericsson’s 5G Centre of Excellence Programme was launched in October 2017 to facilitate the development and deployment of 5G across Singapore. The programme features four main pillars: upgrading of employees’ skills, technology demonstrations, live field trials and collaborations with tertiary institutions.
