Singapore extending 5G standalone coverage to sea

The Marine and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has announced a plan to achieve full 5G standalone (SA) coverage over the country’s anchorages, fairways, terminals and boarding grounds by mid-2025. Maritime 5G coverage for Singapore’s offshore southern coasts will reduce turnaround time and improve efficiency for ships coming in and out of the country.

5G coverage in port waters is also set to enable the establishment of Singapore’s 5G@SEA, the world’s first public and largest 5G maritime testbed to trial, innovate and commercialise maritime 5G use cases over the next decade. The project is being co-funded by a collaboration between the MPA and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), a statutory board under the Ministry of Communications and Information — a key enabler in supporting Singapore’s maritime ambitions.

“As a nation with high ambitions for the transformative powers of 5G, we have rolled out our inland 5G coverage,” said Lew Chuen Hong, Chief Executive of the IMDA. “In partnership with MPA, we now look to extend 5G coverage offshore. We look forward to being able to be one of the world’s first countries for automated ship movement and remote pilotage. IMDA is excited to see the next round of maritime innovation as we support Singapore’s efforts as a global maritime capital.”

Singapore’s 5G@SEA maritime testbed is a collaboration between IMDA’s 5G Innovation and Ecosystem Development Programme and MPA’s Innovation Lab. Local mobile network operator M1 will provide 5G SA offshore coverage for the southern coast of Singapore, including the surrounding waters of the southern islands, in order to trial new maritime 5G use cases targeted at enhancing the efficiency and safety of maritime operations and management. These potential use cases include telemedicine to enable crew welfare at sea, delivery drones, maritime surveillance and autonomous vessels, as well as remotely controlled task-based robots — such as ship inspection and autonomous firefighting robots — that are used for more dangerous and labour-intensive tasks.

“The launch of M1’s 5G standalone network provides low-latency, responsive, secured and high-throughput mobile connectivity to ensure more precise and reliable communications between the ships and the port,” said M1 CEO Manjot Singh Mann. “5G has the capability to resolve longstanding pain points and it will become the natural technology of choice for the maritime industry.

“As the first country to extend 5G standalone coverage to sea for maritime operations, M1 is excited to partner MPA and IMDA to co-develop 5G solutions that will not only transform the industry but benefit the whole of Singapore’s maritime economy.”

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