Manjot Singh Mann (M1)
M1 has partnered with Fullerton Health to introduce 5G-enabled telemedicine services for Singapore’s maritime industry.
Under the banner of SMARTsafe, live teleconsultations with shore-based healthcare professionals and 5G-enabled drones to deliver medicine to ship crews from the shore will be provided to seafarers.
The telemedicine service will be officially launched in July 2023 and made available for all seafarers or employees from shipping companies in Singapore – both on land and in the anchorage – as long as they are connected to M1’s 5G network.
“Undoubtedly, the partnership with M1 greatly improves the usability and accessibility of Fullerton Health’s services,” said Ho Kuen Loon, group CEO of Fullerton Health.
“We want to harness the 5G network to provide virtual healthcare solutions, including telehealth and remote patient monitoring and care team collaboration as the health and safety of port workers and sailors are critical to global trade and supply chains, and we are grateful to be able to contribute toward this.
“The future of healthcare digitalisation is exciting, especially with the innovations that will come from 5G mobility.”
The newly launched solution marks the next phase of M1’s ambitions to deliver 5G standalone (SA) offshore coverage for the southern coast of Singapore, as part of its Maritime 5G testbed efforts which was initiated in August 2022.
The telemedicine offering is in addition to a 5G-powered maritime security solution, dubbed SMARTsecure, for vessels out at sea to set up real-time video surveillance systems and receive “seamless” footage as they would on land.
Both offerings are part of M1’s broader 5G SA-powered solution-in-a-box suite which also comprises of SMARTasset and SMARTops.
According to the telco, the suite will enable the company to grow new revenue streams by supporting “end-to-end servicing” as a value-add to customers, on top of supplying 5G connectivity.
“M1 continues to double down on our efforts to co-create and introduce viable 5G-enabled commercial solutions to further revolutionise Singapore’s maritime operations and make Maritime 5G a reality,” stated Manjot Singh Mann, CEO of M1.
“This launch is a testament to our promise to deliver readily available innovative 5G solutions that can be adopted and rolled out easily by businesses to improve business efficiency. Going forward, M1 will continue to strengthen our position as a forerunner in 5G enterprise solutions by partnering with more businesses across various industries.”
M1 explained that their “plug-and-play” approach aims to support easier integration and deployment of 5G-powered solutions for companies in the maritime industry, with more industries to follow in the future.
Consequently, it intends to eliminate the hassle of identifying and procuring different components separately, ensure quick deployment, and minimise huge roll-out cost by driving greater adoption through the “seamless” integration with pre-tested components of M1’s 5G network.
Kiren Kumar, deputy CEO of Development at Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), congratulated both parties on the collaboration and made the case for more companies to work with IMDA to cement the country as a leading regional hub for 5G innovation.
“At the heart of Singapore’s digital future, our infrastructure connects all of us and powers new and exciting products and services,” he added.
“Singapore is one of the first few countries in the world to deploy nationwide 5G SA coverage, and we have seen significant progress in the commercialisation of 5G enterprise use-cases. IMDA will continue to support our businesses to experiment, innovate and commercialise the technologies of tomorrow.”
