Singtel aims to be among first to roll out 5G in 2020

• Signs MoU with Ericsson to test technologies for future standardisation
• Championing finalisation of 5G white paper at the NGMN Forum

SINGAPORE Telecommunications Ltd (Singtel) is gearing up for Fifth Generation (5G) mobile technology, having signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ericsson, and by also adding its support as a member of an industry consortium seeking to set standards and promote the technology.
 
In a statement, Singtel said it was committed to bringing “transformative 5G services” to its customers and supporting Singapore’s vision of becoming a Smart Nation.
 
“In Singapore, 5G technology development will enable the Smart Nation vision in the next five to 10 years, by providing a superb wireless connectivity layer with huge capacity and solid reliability for human-to-human and machine-to-machine communications,” said its group chief technology officer Tay Soo Meng.
 
“And Singtel is working towards being one of the first in the world to roll out 5G in the year 2020,” he added.
 
As a member of the Next Generation Mobile Network (NGMN) Alliance, Singtel said it is also championing the finalisation of the 5G white paper at the NGMN Forum that is currently being held in the city-state.
 
The white paper serves as a backbone for the mobile communications industry worldwide as it develops 5G technology, Singtel said.
 
The paper sets the guidance of possible uses for 5G as well as performance requirements, network architecture, technology, spectrum and intellectual property rights. It will be presented at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona in March 2015.
 
The 5G White Paper was launched as a special project at MWC2014, and Singtel said it has been actively participating, contributing particularly in the topic of spectrum demand.
 
“The finalisation of this white paper is an important milestone in our journey towards 5G and brings us closer to establishing targets for the successful long-term future of our industry,” NGMN chief executive officer Peter Meissner said in the statement issued by Singtel.
 
The NGMN Alliance is an industry organisation comprising 24 operators from around the world. It proposes and develops requirements for new technologies such as LTE-Advanced, 5G, and ensures that the standards for next-generation network infrastructure, service platforms and devices meet the requirements of both operators and end-users, Singtel said.
 
Strategic partnerships

Singtel said it is also partnering strategic vendors as part of its 5G exploration programme, and has signed an MoU with Ericsson to study the future of 5G networks and its applications for both consumers and enterprises.
 
The partnership will include workshops to align 5G requirements, exchange ideas and trials on potential technologies.
 
“5G is the next generation mobile network technology standard. It will deliver key improvements such as near-zero delay for real-time applications for remotely operated machines, super high data throughput speeds of more than 1Gbps, and enable multiple connected intelligent devices,” said Tay.
 
Last November, Singtel announced plans to launch a 5G Joint Innovation Programme with Huawei. The initiative will serve as a research platform for 5G mobile broadband technologies.
 
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