Credit: Dreamstime
Singapore’s effort to develop a smart port environment has received the support of telecommunications giant M1 as a key participator in the project.
The 5G trial tech call programme is a joint initiative between the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and PSA Corporation (PSA).
“The development of 5G capabilities will play a pivotal role in Singapore’s Smart Nation journey,” said Denis Seek, chief technical officer, M1. “Partnering with IMDA and PSA offers us an exciting opportunity to work on 5G network infrastructure development in a real-life environment for future applications across various industry verticals.
“These trials will help us to gain better insights and enhance our 5G knowledge and capabilities, to strengthen our readiness in harnessing new technologies for our customers in the digital economy."
The initiative is aimed at growing the performance and capabilities of maritime operations through 5G technology in a live environment, with M1’s participation expected to play a key role in providing a significant leap in port operations through the provision of the supporting trial 5G network.
Through the 5G trial tech call collaboration, PSA will provide a live testing ground to gain a deeper understanding around the potential of 5G technology and integration capabilities, before moving to a more widespread adoption phase of a smart port.
The 5G trial will serve as a testbed for the development of 5G networks and capabilities.
M1 will be supporting IMDA and PSA over the duration of 18 months to study 5G performance and capabilities for port applications, which include tele-remote control of port equipment and enhancing automated guided vehicles (AGV) operations.
Findings from these tests will provide deep learnings for future 5G deployments to a wider range of parties, including government, service providers and various industries.
“5G has the potential to be an important enabler for Singapore’s digital economy,” said Tan Kiat How, chief executive of IMDA. “IMDA aims to establish an open and vibrant ecosystem, which in turn supports the deployment of innovative 5G applications for our industries and consumers.
"I would like to encourage interested organisations to partner us in this effort, and participate in the upcoming technical trials and testbeds."
Earlier this year, M1 partnered with Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) for the test bedding of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) in Singapore waters.
The collaboration leverages M1’s low latency 4.5G network connectivity to establish reliable ship-to-shore communication links and to support internet-of-things (IoT) maritime applications.
