Focus is on 5G demos, live field trials and third-party collaboration
Ericsson and Singapore telecommunications operator Singtel announced plans to jointly establish a center of excellence (CoE) to facilitate 5G development and deployment in Singapore.
The two partners said the new 5G center will require an initial investment of $1.7 million over the next three years. The companies also said the new facility will support Singapore’s smart nation initiatives. The 5G center will also be open to Optus, an Australian telco controlled by Singel.
Ericsson and Singtel also said that the center will carry out 5G demos, live field trials and host collaboration with third parties.
“We are pleased to partner Ericsson to enhance our 5G core competencies and create a robust 5G ecosystem that will allow Singtel and our enterprise customers to benefit from the anticipated growth opportunities 5G will bring,” said Mark Chong, chief technology officer, at Singtel. “We invite customers in various verticals, such as transportation, port operations and next-generation manufacturing, to start shaping their new digital business models with us.”
“The establishment of the 5G CoE is timely and goes hand in hand with the government’s move to encourage industry trials in 5G. Together with Singtel, we plan to set up a 5G test bed in 2018 for trials with key enterprise customers, with the objective of enabling a strong foundation to help design Singapore’s 5G future,” said Martin Wiktorin, president and country manager for Singapore, Brunei & Philippines, at Ericsson.
Telia obtains license to test 5G in Finland
In other 5G news, Finnish telecommunications services regulator FICORA has granted local telecoms operator Telia a test license for 5G testing in the cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa.
The regulator confirmed the concession issued to Telia covers three spectrum bands, 3.5 GHz, 26 GHz and 28 GHz.
“The purpose is to test and investigate the features and functionality of 5G base stations in the Telia Finland network. Moreover, the test frequencies will be used for showcasing 5G technology at public events,” the regulator said in a statement.
“The aim of 5G is to meet the needs and wishes of many wireless communications user groups in terms of mobility, higher data speeds, better reliability, security and energy-efficiency, among other issues. Finland has the ambition to be one of the world leaders in the development and deployment of the next-generation wireless broadband, 5G. FICORA aims to secure sufficient frequencies for wireless communications testing.”
