The big role of fibre in 5G deployment

WE ARE transitioning into an intelligent world where real-time connectivity is unleashing greater efficiency through big data-driven automation. A plethora of connected objects collecting, sharing and analysing data automatically in real time brings a number of benefits like:

• Saving resources and reducing wastage;

• Reducing manpower cost through automation of repetitive, time-consuming tasks;

• Minimising downtime through active predictive monitoring;

• Tracking the location of vehicles, equipment and products;

• Improving the quality of life.

According to Statista, the number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices worldwide is forecast to almost treble from 8.74 billion in 2020 to more than 25.4 billion in 2030. With the corresponding growth in data, 5G network is the latest wireless communication technology that is the answer to faster speed, greater bandwidth and ultra-low latency.

Despite the wireless nature of 5G, its deployment is heavily reliant on the availability of fibre optics to transport the vast amount of data from the mobile base stations to the physical core network. Fibre is irreplaceable in 5G mobile backhaul as it is the only medium that can transmit an infinite amount of data at scalable speeds. In 100 per cent fibre networks, the data transmission speed is only limited by the transmitters and receivers at each end. GSMA estimates that 5G will cover one-third of the world's population by 2025, thereby intensifying the demand for fibre globally.

How 5G shapes fibre deployment

5G uses millimetre waves to carry a larger amount of data at a much faster rate than 4G. A lot of base stations and antennas are required to ensure good 5G coverage as a shorter wavelength means shorter range, making it difficult to penetrate objects like walls, buildings, trees, and so on. Another key characteristic of 5G is network virtualisation - using software to manage both hardware and software resources to achieve greater efficiency and enable better customer experience.

However, more base stations and antennas will invariably lead to more interconnected paths, making the fibre network more complex. Even in Singapore where the nationwide fibre network is already extensive, new fibre cables still have to be laid to ensure efficient route planning to reduce cost, overcome distance and signal loss in 5G deployment. Based on our experience in the 5G Smart Estate Trial @ Singapore Science Park and the Singapore Maritime Drone Estate, fibre densification is about 2 times more than 4G.

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The first use-cases in South-east Asia to develop intelligent mobility solutions in a commercial space, 5G Smart Estate Trial is a key initiative of the Smart Urban Co-Innovation Lab aimed at developing, testing, and deploying sustainable smart city products and services, such as better 5G network coverage or autonomous vehicles.

The Singapore Maritime Drone Estate provides a conducive space to test bed and develop transformational drone technologies for maritime applications, such as shore-to-ship deliveries and remote inspections of ship and container cranes. Innovative applications of drone technologies can bring benefits, such as increased productivity, reduced need for manpower and lower costs.

The planning of fibre deployment is an important but often overlooked part of the entire process. While many assume that fibre losses are low in general, careful planning is required to design the fibre network so that it meets critical parameters such as latency, distance and losses, particularly in crucial applications like 5G and advanced technologies like quantum computing. The extensive fibre network in Singapore is being continually improved and refined to ensure that direct connections are being implemented with the latest fibre cores to meet future technological challenges. It will remain a cornerstone in providing a steady and resilient platform for Singapore to advance its digital ambitions.

Need to accelerate 5G deployment

Clearly, nationwide fibre coverage is a requisite for 5G deployment. Laying fibre cables to the premises (FTTP) will incur high fixed costs, even in a highly urbanised environment like Singapore.

Governments across the world have taken different approaches to fibre deployment. For example, private telecommunication operators like NTT and Verizon provide most of the fibre infrastructure in Japan and the United States. In some countries, fibre networks are being deployed by utility companies (for example, Open Fiber and M-Net) and online service providers (for example, Facebook and Google).

At the other end of the spectrum, governments in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore have decided on the use of publicly funded national broadband network deployments - that is, National Broadband Network (NBN), Ultra-Fast Broadband Network, and Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) respectively - to accelerate the pace of implementation.

The Next Gen NBN provides telecommunication operators in Singapore with a non-discriminatory, open and wholesale access to the nationwide fibre network, thereby allowing them to focus on offering innovative products and services to consumers and businesses without incurring high fixed costs. Singapore has achieved relatively good success via this mode of fibre deployment - it was the first country to offer 1Gbps on a nationwide basis, with prices that are among the most affordable in the world - 1 Gbps below US$38.

It is important to note that technological advancements have significantly blurred the lines between the service offerings of telecommunication operators and tech companies. For example, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology and instant messaging service have significantly eroded the earnings of telecommunications operators. With digitalisation affecting all industries, telecommunications operators need to quickly evolve into digital players where differentiation is increasingly hinging on software and network virtualisation, rather than physical infrastructure. Apart from 5G deployment, telecommunication operators globally are venturing into areas like cybersecurity, data analytics, digital banking, digital advertising, Internet of Things (IoT), industry 4.0, and so on.

Non-discriminatory, open and wholesale access to nationwide fibre network can significantly accelerate 5G deployment and allow telecommunications operators to focus on critical areas of innovation and software differentiation in the age of digitalisation.

• The writer is chief executive officer of NetLink NBN Trust