Singtel has announced a collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) to roll out network slicing technology across Singapore.
This initiative aims to strengthen the capabilities of both agencies and enhance the nation’s security infrastructure.
Ng Tian Chong, Chief Executive Officer, Singtel Singapore, said, “As a homegrown technology company, our nation’s security is paramount to us. The threat landscape is growing increasingly more complex and cross-border in nature. With Singtel’s 5G network capabilities, security agencies will be able to conduct their operations with high precision, imperative to safeguarding and ensuring the continuous success of Singapore.”
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Supporting Critical Operations
The partnership has resulted in a tailored solution leveraging Singtel’s advanced 5G technology. This enables dedicated network resources, such as high-speed connectivity, low latency, and ample bandwidth, to support critical operations. These include improving situational awareness, streamlining command and control processes, enhancing threat detection, and ensuring rapid incident response.
The network slicing deployment will empower DSTA and HTX to harness cutting-edge technologies, including autonomous vehicles (AVs), robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI). This approach also facilitates the secure and efficient analysis of large data volumes, allowing first responders to make informed decisions and act swiftly during emergencies.
This partnership builds on a successful trial conducted in July, 2024, which explored the use of 5G technology for video-intensive transmissions and the autonomous control of unmanned vehicles and drones. The trial, held at Sentosa, was a joint effort between Singtel, DSTA, and HTX.
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Bolstering Defense in Singapore
The initiative also received support from the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) and the Ministry of Defence’s Future Systems and Technology Directorate (FSTD), ensuring that the 5G technology met the required performance standards and operational capabilities.
Wong Chia Sern, Director of Infocomm IT Infrastructure at DSTA, highlighted that the agency continuously seeks to explore and adopt new technologies to bolster Singapore's defense capabilities. He noted that 5G's high bandwidth, low latency, and network slicing capabilities offer significant potential for defense applications, enhancing operational flexibility, effectiveness, and efficiency.
Vincent Ho, Director, Enterprise Communications and Digital Infrastructure (xCDI), HTX, added, “As the usage for 5G in Singapore increases, it is imperative that we have a dedicated capacity that ensures Home Team operations are not affected even during scenarios where a surge in the number of network connections slows down data transmission speeds for normal users.”
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