5G Garage to incubate, develop and trial 5G solutions for enterprises
Singapore, 17 January 2019 – Singtel, Ericsson and Singapore Polytechnic (SP) today opened the country’s first live 5G facility at SP’s Dover Road campus. The facility, named 5G Garage, is connected to Singtel’s latest pilot 5G network located at Ayer Rajah and runs on 3.5GHz trial spectrum granted by the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA).
Photo Credit : Singtel. Singtel’s live 5G site at Ayer Rajah Tower
Conceptualised by Singtel and Ericsson, 5G Garage will serve as a training centre, test bed and ideation lab to develop Singapore’s 5G ecosystem and drive the adoption of 5G by enterprises in their digital transformations.
Photo Credit : Singtel. Chief Executive, IMDA, Mr Tan Kiat How and Singtel, Ericsson and Singapore Polytechnic management at the opening of 5G Garage, Singapore’s first live 5G facility
According to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, 5G is slated to be the fastest generation of cellular technology to be rolled out on a global scale. With ultra-fast connectivity speeds and low latency rates, 5G is set to transform industries such as transportation, logistics, healthcare and manufacturing, and enable a future of smart cities, autonomous vehicles and Artificial Intelligence.
Photo Credit : Singtel. L-R: Mr Martin Wiktorin, President and Country Manager for Singapore, Brunei & Philippines, Ericsson,Mr Soh Wai Wah, Principal and CEO, Singapore Polytechnic, and Mr Mark Chong, Group Chief Technology Officer, Singtel
The first-of-its-kind 5G collaboration between enterprise, industry and an institute of higher learning in Singapore, 5G Garage was officially launched at SP’s Engineering Show 2019. The three parties signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) encompassing the following strategic objectives:
- Build and operate a 5G facility where enterprises can develop and test 5G solution.
- Co-develop 5G solutions relevant to industries such as transportation, logistics, healthcare and manufacturing.
- Develop and deliver 5G wireless technology curriculum for the SP’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
- Develop 5G capabilities of our workforce
Mr Mark Chong, Group Chief Technology Officer, Singtel, said, “Singtel is pleased to partner Ericsson and SP on our 5G Garage initiative. As Singapore advances its digital economy and becomes a Smart Nation, the benefits of 5G will first be seen in enterprises, especially in their digital transformation when they integrate technology into their processes, services and products. With 5G standards largely established, now is an opportune time for SMEs and enterprises to join us in shaping our 5G future.”
Photo Credit : Singtel. Singapore Polytechnic Driverless and Electrifying Car (SPDEC) slated for 5G development
Mr Martin Wiktorin, Country Manager Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines, Ericsson, states: “5G has the potential to transform industries and bring enhanced mobile broadband experience for consumers. At Ericsson, we are already collaborating globally with 42 operators, 45 institutes and 31 industry partners, to create a thriving 5G ecosystem. We are delighted to partner Singtel and Singapore Polytechnic towards the setting up of the 5G Garage, which we hope will stimulate SP students to come up with new 5G use cases.”
As part of the collaboration, around 250 final-year students from the Diploma in Electrical & Electronic Engineering and Diploma in Computer Engineering will learn about 5G wireless technology and how to harness and apply it as part of their coursework. There will also be technology transfer from Singtel and Ericsson 5G experts to SP staff and students, through train-the-trainers, technical content sharing and advice on industry applications. Additionally, SP students in the Singtel Engineering Cadet Scholarship Programme will also have the opportunity to take up internships in the 5G Garage and develop solutions for real-life challenges.
Mr Soh Wai Wah, Singapore Polytechnic’s Principal and CEO, said, “This collaboration reflects our strong industry partnership, which is key to keeping our student learning relevant and updated. This latest collaboration will equip our students with skills in the latest technologies and nurture them to innovate and create solutions for the world.”
Three SP Engineering student projects - SP Secure drone system, SP Driverless and Electrifying Car, and Pipe Climbing Robot were selected for 5G development. They were featured during the 5G Garage opening event, with students presenting their projects to over 100 guests.
Local SME partners, Cloudzen and H3Dynamics, also showcased their innovations enhanced with 5G connectivity. Cloudzen demonstrated how their Cloud-based Entertainment Platform can deliver a seamless gaming experience and H3Dynamics performed real-time video analytics on a drone flight in a building façade and security surveillance use case.
5G Garage is the latest project in Singtel and Ericsson’s 5G Centre of Excellence programme which focuses on upgrading of employees’ skills, technology demonstrations, live field trials and collaborations with educational institutions. Last November, Singtel and Ericsson made Singapore’s first 5G data call over their 5G pilot network at one-north.
Factsheet
5G Garage student projects and SME demos
SINGAPORE POLYTECHNIC (SP) SECURE
Singapore Polytechnic (SP) Secure is an integrated security system using a fleet of four drones.
The objective is to develop a fully autonomous surveillance system, integrating different drones that can be used to monitor intruders across different environments, ranging from on-ground to underwater situations.
Equipped with cameras, these drones can transmit live videos as well as “communicate” and collaborate with other security drones. The drones are connected to a surveillance system that allows security personnel to monitor and react in real time.
Drones with 5G capabilities will benefit from enhanced connectivity, high bandwidth and lower latency. This will lead to a greater precision in manoeuvring, allow for videos to be taken beyond line of sight as well as high definition video to be streamed to backend servers for data processing, facial recognition and intruder-identification.
This system is an example of a SMART Campus initiative to ensure that the grounds are safer for students and staff.
SINGAPORE POLYTECHNIC DRIVERLESS AND ELECTRIFYING CAR (SPDEC)
SPDEC is an autonomous driverless vehicle that can move around the SP campus without any human intervention. Rides are hailed via a smartphone and fares are paid using cryptocurrency.
The SPDEC is equipped with sensors to capture all surrounding scenarios, allowing for image recognition and classification, application of machine-learning to differentiate these scenarios as well as path planning.
No driver, no pedal. Just seats and screens. This is what riders will see when they get into SPDEC, where the ride is to be enjoyed as experience, rather than a way to get from point A to point B.
With 5G connectivity, real-time video can be streamed to the cloud for data analysis, leading to “intelligent” decision-making for collision-avoidance as well as speed control optimisation.
PIPE-CLIMBING ROBOT
Singapore Polytechnic has designed a pipe-climbing robot to replace humans when performing the visual inspection of quay cranes at ports, to improve safety and reliability.
As cranes are built with large iron pipes of varying sizes, this robot uses magnetic wheels to attach itself onto the metal pipes and can be controlled to traverse along or around the pipe using Radio Control. Equipped with a wireless camera system that can pan and tilt, this 7-kg robot is able to provide a live feed to the user enabling the user to view additional areas around the pipe via a mobile app.
With 5G connectivity, high data bandwidth coupled with low latency would provide for a seamless, reliable and accurate control of the robot. In addition, the quality of the video transmitted can be enhanced to HD Quality, allowing for details of the pipe surface to be seen without any time lag.
SINGAPORE POLYTECHNIC ADVANCED MANUFACTURING VIRTUAL REALITY INTERACTIVE SIMULATOR
Using Virtual Reality (VR), this project aims to train process and maintenance engineers to handle different incident scenarios that may occur in potentially hazardous industrial environments.
One example could be the simulation of a gas leak at a process plant. Using a VR headset and controllers, engineers are trained to locate the leak through the experience of immersive technologies. Once the leak has been located, they are able to visualise the problem and given instructions to help stop the gas leakage.
5G connection will provide for data streaming in order for intensive data analysis to be offloaded to the Cloud. This will reduce lag time, improve real-time response rates and allow for high-quality graphics to be downloaded instantly, greatly enhancing the user-training experience.
H3 Dynamics is a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) based in Singapore, with recent expansion and localised partnerships overseas.
Founded in 2015, H3 Dynamics created a proprietary self-sustaining tele-robotics platform as a fully integrated solution, where autonomous drones scan fields and send imagery to the cloud for processing and producing data insights which are summarised into ready-to-use reports for decision-makers.
H3 Dynamics conducted a 5G video live-streaming demonstration from an autonomous drone camera into a Virtual Command Centre at the 5G Garage, leveraging 5G connectivity provided by Singtel and Ericsson.
5G connectivity will allow for the transmission of terabytes of data in minutes and 4K video downloads in seconds, accelerating digital transformation as well as the deployment of advanced automation technologies.
Cloudzen is a Singapore-based Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) specialising in cloud gaming platforms. Founded in 2015, Cloudzen is developing GameCloud, a cloud gaming and mobile entertainment platform that provides G.O.D (Games On Demand).
GameCloud brings AAA games (high resolution and complex games requiring more than 100G of storage capacity) to mobile devices through game-streaming technology. Gamers can now play AAA games on mobiles instantly, eliminating the need for users to be desk-bound and the hassle of downloads.
At 5G Garage,Cloudzen played AAA games to demonstrate the benefits of 5G connectivity for game- streaming. With higher speeds and lower latency, 5G technology will greatly enhance GameCloud, allowing gamers to play high-quality 3D graphics games with shorter loading time of game graphics as well as overall improved responsiveness.
