Singapore carrier Singtel has deployed 5G connectivity at its iconic payphone booths at Tong Building on Orchard Road.
Named “Unboxed Lite”, the payphone booths have been transformed into multimedia kiosks, providing full access to a wide range of Singtel services and 5G-powered Wi-Fi connections.
Unboxed Lite will give all consumers access to Singtel’s ultra-fast 5G experience, the carrier said, providing Wi-Fi connections powered by Singtel’s triple-band 5G which utilizes 3.5 Ghz, 28 Ghz and 2.1 GHz frequencies.
The carrier said that consumers with any smartphone can connect to the 5G-powered Wi-Fi for free as a way to experience Singtel 5G service.
“Unboxed Lite 5G experience zones will allow more consumers to try out Singtel 5G and understand how super-fast speeds and quick response times can elevate their mobile data experience,” said Gan Siok Hoon, managing director of sales and marketing, consumer Singapore at Singtel. “With 5G set to go mainstream with more devices and applications available in the coming months, we will launch Unboxed Lite experience zones progressively across the island to bring richer experiences enabled by 5G, AR and VR closer to the consumers.”
Unboxed Lite features next-generation self-service kiosks powered by mmWave 5G and Singtel’s AI assistant Stella. It offers customers a 24/7 contactless experience for prepaid card purchases and top-ups, Singtel mobile, fiber broadband and TV subscription sign-ups, instant SIM card replacements among other services, the carrier said.
Singtel currently offers 5G services in the country using spectrum in both 3.5 GHz and 2.1 GHz spectrum bands. To complement its existing 5G coverage, Singtel recently switched on mmWave 5G in several locations across the island, including Orchard Road, the Padang area and Marina Bay Sands Expo.
Singtel has said it is working with enterprise customers in key industries to develop 5G solutions in areas such as autonomous guided vehicles, mixed reality and location-based services.
Singtel’s 5G network will take advantage of mmWave through a combination of the latest cellular technologies including massive MIMO, carrier aggregation and beam-forming solutions. Singtel customers with 5G plans can expect to experience mobile speeds of up to 3 Gbps speeds when mmWave-enabled handsets arrive in Singapore in 2021.
Singtel also said that it is working to start offering dedicated mmWave network solutions to its enterprise customers in the coming months.
Singtel had initially launched its 5G non-standalone (NSA) network in September 2020. The carrier was officially awarded a 5G license issued by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in June 2020.
Singtel and a joint venture between StarHub Mobile and M1 had previously secured licenses to build two nationwide standalone (SA) 5G networks in Singapore.
The two companies will deploy SA 5G networks beginning in January 2021 and will be required to provide coverage for at least half of Singapore by the end of 2022, scaling up to nationwide coverage by the end of 2025.
