Singtel has begun issuing SIM cards that are compatible with 5G standalone networks, which the telco currently is rolling out in Singapore. Its next-generation mobile network is available in “hundreds” of locations across the island including a couple of indoor sites.
Singtel’s said Tuesday its new customers or those renewing their service contracts could opt for the new 5G SIM card, if they signed up for the telco’s 5G Now add-on service or 5G XO Plus 68 plans and above. The SIM card would be issued for free, with the SG$37.45 registration fee waived until May 31, 2021. Existing customers on XO Plus 68 plans and above also could swop for the new 5G SIM cards for free.
Singtel said its 5G standalone network was accessible in locations such as the Central Business District and Sentosa as well as indoor sites, which would be expanded from Vivocity to include Ngee Ann City and some Singtel retail outlets.
The Singapore telco was working with Ericsson to deploy its local 5G standalone network, running on 3.5GHz spectrum.
The cloud-native network would have slicing capabilities, which it said enabled “dynamic distribution and optimisation of network resources” to support a range of applications.
Pitched as a prominent feature of 5G, network slicing was touted to enable connectivity and data processing customised to the customer’s specific requirements. Network equipment vendors such as Nokia offered automation network slicing features that were pitched to slash costs associated with boosting networking capacity.
Singtel said it would launch more handset models that were compatible with 5G standalone networks later this year, as manufacturers released software updates for their existing 5G smartphones.
Singtel’s consumer CEO Anna Yip said the telco’s engineers were working with handset manufacturers to test and prepare for its 5G commercial launch.
Earlier this month, it launched “5G in a box” to provide enterprise customers the ability to deploy and test their apps on-site. Tucked inside a suitcase-sized container, the “portable 5G platform” was touted to eliminate the need for these organisations to access an actual 5G network to do so.
In February, Singtel also began offering its 5G edge computing infrastructure on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, which the telco said would enable businesses to run applications such as autonomous guided vehicles, drones, robots, and virtual/augmented reality, in closer proximity to users. The partnership would allow Azure customers to tap Singtel’s Multi-access Edge Compute (MEC) services.
Singapore’s other two 5G licensees StarHub and M1 also kicked off their respective consumers trials, though, these ran on non-standalone 5G architectures. Both operators, which were joint licence bidders, currently were deploying 5G standalone networks with Nokia.
