Singtel launches portable 5G-in-a-box platform to accelerate innovation

• All-in-one-box 5G test kit designed for enterprises try outs
• Touts the ability to test various Industry 4.0 applications

SINGAPORE’s Singtel has launched what it claims to be the first in the world portable 5G platform to enable enterprises to experience 5G’s capabilities and trial use cases in their own premises.

Dubbed GENIE, the platform touts the ability to creates an independent 5G network at any location where it is deployed, without the need for prior installation of equipment or infrastructure.

In a statement, it said GENIE and is suitable for enterprises that want to conduct trials but don’t yet have a 5G network. GENIE can also be used to run short-term events like hackathons that require a temporary 5G network, it added.

“While many enterprises are aware of 5G, they may not fully understand how their operations can benefit from this technology,” said Dennis Wong, vice president of 5G for enterprise and cloud, group enterprise at Singtel

“By bringing 5G right into the customers’ premises, GENIE can help enterprises to quickly validate their solutions with their partners or verify the performance of their end-to-end use cases with no installation cost.”

Wong said the platform is particularly useful for large enterprises that need to test 5G before they decide to invest in their own dedicated network.

He said seeing what 5G can do in their own premises will help more enterprises adopt 5G and speed up their digital transformation.

Designed to be compact and transportable, GENIE comes in a suitcase-sized container consisting of a 5G network control kit and a standing mount with 5G radio antenna, Singtel said.

The simple setup can be installed under an hour and requires only a standard electrical outlet to power and access to a window for the platform to determine its location via Global Positioning System, it claimed.

Other advantages include allowing customers to host and deploy their apps on GENIE and connect their devices to the apps using its high-speed and low latency 5G network without relying on an external network like the Internet, Singtel said.

GENIE is designed to work with Singtel 5G’s multi-access edge compute (MEC) infrastructure to test ultra-low latency applications indoors, the telco said.

It added that enterprises can work with Singtel’s ecosystem partners to test Industry 4.0 applications such as autonomous robots in a smart factory, augmented, virtual or mixed reality, drones, and holographic projection.

GENIE is Singtel’s latest initiative to expand its 5G ecosystem and engagement with customers, following the launch of its 5G MEC trials in collaboration with Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services as well as Singapore’s first 5G standalone network at 5G Garage at Singapore Polytechnic.

Enterprises which are keen to test GENIE can contact Singtel at [email protected].