The 5G@Sentosa project aims to provide a 5G testbed for public institutions in Singapore (Image: Unsplash)

Lower latency, higher speed and greater bandwidth of 5G technology will permanently change the way we work in diverse sectors such as construction, manufacturing, healthcare and tourism. To enable businesses to prepare for future processes and test upcoming use cases, Singapore’s government launched the 5G@Sentosa testbed.

As part of a public and private program, Singapore’s government, led by the Government Technology Agency (GovTech), the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) and Singapore’s largest telecommunications company Singtel, has launched the 5G@Sentosa project. The project aims to prepare for the nationwide rollout of the 5G network in 2025. The island of Sentosa, part of Singapore, offers visitors a wide range of free time experiences and, according to the stakeholders, provides companies with an exciting environment in order to investigate and test the feasibility of prototypes and applications.

Learning for the future

The government’s hope is that the tests will intensify 5G connectivity with IoT devices and various sensors, and enable public agencies to collect and process large amounts of data in real time. The insights gathered should help all businesses with upcoming digital innovations, according to Josephine Teo, Singapore’s minister for communications and information: “What we learn here could be used in other areas of public service for the benefit of people and businesses.” And she gets specific: Singapore’s government is aiming to conduct at least 30 live trials by the first half of 2023, with 15 trials to be completed this year – 10 have already been successfully conducted.

Optimizing the public sector

Singapore’s government wants to invite public sector entities to use new testbeds for 5G to test use cases that improve operational efficiency and deliver social services. For example, the Infocomm Media Development Authority, an agency of the Singapore government, allocated a $22 billion fund for these developments earlier this year.

“5G is a key component of the SNSP [Smart Nation Sensor Platform] that allows us to tap the full potential of sensors and IoT systems to facilitate the real-time sharing of operational data, generate new insights, and deliver better citizen-centric public services. 5G@Sentosa gives GovTech a platform to work with agencies and industry to co-create solutions for the public sector“.

Kok Ping Soon, Chief Executive of GovTech