VivoCity Will have 5G Connection If You’re Using Singtel; More Malls to Follow

By
Shawn Ambrose
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Picture this:

You’re at VivoCity waiting to meet your partner as the two of you planned to go to Sentosa for a picnic.

But they’re 15 minutes late, and simply doing nothing and being along with your thoughts seems like a fate worse than death.

So you whip out your phone hoping to watch videos of cats solving algebraic equations, but it doesn’t load.

Instead, you just see that grey circle turning round and round. And when the video finally loads, your partner has turned up.

If this has happened to you, I’ve got some good news (only for Singtel users, that is).

VivoCity Will have 5G Connection If You’re Using Singtel; More Malls to Follow

Singtel is expanding its 5G network coverage and bringing 5G indoors to VivoCity, the country’s largest mall.

The telecom giant announced the launch in a press release on Wednesday (3 Feb).

This is Singapore’s first commercial indoor 5G coverage, but it won’t end here.

The good news for Singtel users is that the company plans to extend its in-building 5G coverage to popular malls such as Ngee Ann City and Bugis Junction over the next few months.

“We are pleased to deliver our 5G speed advantage indoors at VivoCity, just as more people are going out with their friends and family,” said Gan Siok Hoon, Singtel’s managing director, sales & marketing, consumer Singapore.

“Singtel 5G provides reliable connectivity and a consistent high-speed experience, making a real difference for our customers whether they are surfing, streaming videos or gaming while on the go.”

In their news release, Singtel said its 5G network will offer customers ultra-fast speeds of up to 1.2Gbps, even in VivoCity.

Running on 3.5GHz spectrum, the network utilises advanced small cell radio dot technology.

With these speeds, Singtel claims to offer Singapore’s fastest 5G network.

Only 3 Local Telcos Have 5G Licences

At the moment, only 3 local telcos have 5G licences.

Singtel and a joint venture between StarHub and M1 won the rights last year to build the country’s two nationwide networks.

The three telcos, along with TPG Telecom, will also be allowed to operate smaller 5G networks that provide spot coverage using airwaves.

The plan is to scale up the network gradually and have nationwide coverage by 2025.

And to fund this push for nationwide coverage, the government set aside a $30 million fund for businesses to test and adopt 5G solutions.

5G vs 4G

But is 5G really that much better than 4G? Is it really worth the upgrade?

In a word, yes.

According to CNN, there are a few reasons why 5G is superior to its older sibling, the two most notable of which are speed and capacity.

5G is expected to be nearly 100 times faster than 4G, meaning you could download a two-hour movie in fewer than 10 seconds.

This is because 5G networks are built on super-high-frequency airwaves which transmit data much faster than 4G networks.

Moreover, when it comes to 4G, too many devices in a small area can often cause network speeds to slow down due to congestion.

But 5G is expected to have significantly more capacity than 4G, which will allow more devices to connect to a network at any given time, and in turn, lead to faster speeds.

So, that annoying buffering circle that we all detest may soon be a thing of the past, something we tell our grandkids about one day.

Featured Image: EQRoy / Shutterstock.com

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]