Singapore is expected to have two full-fledged standalone 5G networks covering more than half the island by end-2022, with deployments to begin next year. Two additional licences will also be available, should there be interest from the industry, to enable telcos to run localised 5G services on existing 4G networks.
Industry regulator Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) on Thursday said all four mobile operators — M1, StarHub, Singtel, and TPG Telecom — had been asked to submit their proposals for two spectrum packages put up for bidding.
When awarded, the two mobile network operators would have to deploy the 3.5GHz spectrum band as standalone 5G networks, supporting capabilities such as network slicing and ultra-reliable low latency communications. These would be critical for the development of new applications such as smart factories, massive Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and autonomous vehicles.