Singtel, Ericsson to set up 5G development center

Singtel network coverageSingtel has tied up with Ericsson to set up 5G development center in Singapore aimed at early deployment of 5G technology.

Singtel and Ericsson will be making an initial investment of S$2 million over the next three years to focus on 5G use cases and development of 5G technology. The new 5G development center will spearhead the development of 5G mobile network to support Smart Nation initiatives in Singapore.

5G mobile network technology, which is expected to roll out globally from 2020, will deliver better connectivity, ultra-low latency, gigabit speeds, and support applications such as smart cities, Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality, and autonomous vehicles.

The 5G center will be open to Optus, a Singtel group company across Asia and Africa to encourage knowledge sharing within the Singtel Group.

“Partnership with Ericsson will enhance our 5G core competencies and create a robust 5G ecosystem that will allow Singtel and our enterprise customers to benefit from the growth opportunities 5G will bring,” said Mark Chong, group chief technology officer, Singtel.

Singtel is expecting that verticals such as transportation, port operations and manufacturing will start using 5G technology to become smarter in their operations.

Port operators can use 5G to provide remote control of Autonomous Guided Vehicles within port operations and improve platooning reliability, which will help boost port operations efficiency. The use of sensors and technologies such as drones and augmented reality enabled by 5G can be used for predictive maintenance and enhance safety of port workers.

Field testing and hands-on experience conducted at the 5G center will equip more than 100 Singtel engineers with critical competencies in designing and operating a 5G network.

Ericsson and Singtel will set up 5G demos in Singtel’s Comcentre headquarters to showcase 5G mobile applications such as, immersive experience on Augmented Reality, enablement of haptic feedback in surgical operations, and remote medical education.

They will deploy a mobile 5G test bed to carry out live 5G field trials with key enterprise customers starting next year.

5G industry digitalization will boost annual revenue of mobile operators by $582 billion from 2026, according to the Ericsson Report on 5G Business Potential.

5G-enabled industries, such as energy/utilities and public transport will enable operators to increase revenues by 34 percent by 2026.

Singtel and Ericsson showcased 5G and demonstrated world’s first end-to-end low latency in 2016.

Earlier this year, Singtel achieved download speed of up to 1 Gbps in Singapore in a live LTE network by deploying 256 QAM downlink, 4×4 MIMO and triple carrier aggregation techniques.

Singtel’s 4G LTE network currently supports 500Mbps nationwide, supporting the latest Cat 11 and above handsets such as iPhone 8 and Samsung Note8.