Singaporean operator Singtel said it is paving the way for the launch of a 5G standalone (SA) network across the country.
The telco said it has already deployed 5G SA sites across the island in areas such as Orchard Road, the Central Business District, Harbourfront and Sentosa. It is also progressively expanding its 5G in-building coverage which began with VivoCity to more indoor sites, starting with Ngee Ann City and selected Singtel Shops across Singapore.
The 5G SA sites run on 3.5 GHz spectrum, Singtel said.
In preparation for its 5G SA commercial launch, Singtel will begin issuing 5G SA-compatible SIM cards to customers.
Anna Yip, CEO, Consumer Singapore, Singtel, said: “We are ready to usher in a new era of connectivity with 5G SA and introduce our customers to the transformational benefits of blazing fast speeds and ultra-responsive connections which will elevate their everyday experiences.”
“Our engineers are working in earnest with key handset manufacturers to complete testing and prepare the next-generation network for commercial launch. As our 5G network gains momentum and evolves, we invite our customers to mark an exciting 5G milestone with us and upgrade to our new 5G SIM cards to future proof and enhance their mobile experience.”
Singtel has upgraded its 5G radio access network with advanced radio technologies to connect to a cloud-native standalone 5G core network, enabling it to run 5G independently. The telco also said that the network will soon offer network slicing capabilities which allow for the dynamic distribution and optimisation of network resources to support a wide range of applications.
Singtel aims to intensify its 5G SA deployment across the island in the coming months as handset manufacturers progressively roll out 5G SA software updates for existing 5G handsets and launch more 5G SA compatible models in Singapore later this year.
Singtel had initially launched its 5G non-standalone (NSA) network in September of 2020, using spectrum in the 3.5 GHz frequency as well as existing 2.1 GHz spectrum.
The carrier said it is using 28 GHz mmWave spectrum, in addition to the 3.5 GHz and 2.1 GHz bands, to boost its 5G deployment in Singapore.
Singtel had switched on mmWave in several locations across the island, including Orchard Road, the Padang area and Marina Bay Sands Expo.
