Singtel launches 5G non-standalone network, introduces three-month trial

SINGTEL on Tuesday said it has launched its 5G non-standalone (NSA) network, a 5G network that rides on existing 4G infrastructure. The telco has also introduced a three-month trial for its consumer and enterprise customers.

For a start, Singtel's 5G will cover areas such as Harbourfront, Bugis and Dhoby Ghaut, the company said in a statement.

Singtel said its NSA network is capable of delivering 5G speeds of more than one gigabit (GB) per second by harnessing 3.5 gigahertz frequency from its newly expanded spectrum holdings, as well as its existing 2,100 megahertz spectrum.

The three-month trial will extend free 5G connectivity and an additional 10GB of local data to 20,000 early adopters, including 10,000 Singtel Combo and XO customers with compatible 5G handsets who will progressively get 5G connectivity. The next 10,000 eligible customers who buy a 5G phone will also get to trial Singtel 5G for free, the telco said.

Compatible 5G handsets on Singtel 5G include Huawei P40 Pro, Huawei P40 Pro+, Samsung S20 Ultra 5G and VIVO X50 Pro. Singtel said the list of handsets will be expanded as more 5G devices are made available in Singapore.

Singtel's Singapore consumer chief Yuen Kuan Moon said: "With Covid-19 driving everyone online and dramatically increasing our reliance on digital services to work, learn and play, 5G is set to be a huge enabler in our lives in this new normal."

Singtel was officially awarded a 5G licence by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in June 2020. Joint bidders StarHub and M1 won the other 5G licence in Singapore.

IMDA said on Aug 18 that it supports the plans of mobile network operators to deploy 5G NSA networks. This move will allow trials for consumers to enjoy partial 5G experiences in the near term, ahead of the nationwide rollout of 5G standalone networks by 2025.

StarHub said separately on Aug 18 that it is giving its customers on its new Mobile+ and Biz+ mobile plans early 5G access. The telco is in the midst of its 5G trial, which will run until Feb 16, 2021. Its 5G network is running on non-standalone architecture that rides on existing 4G infrastructure, but it will switch to standalone architecture by mid-2021.

Singtel shares were trading down S$0.02 or 0.9 per cent to S$2.28 as at 1.07pm on Tuesday.