By the middle of 2025, Singapore will have complete 5G standalone (SA) coverage over anchorages, fairways, terminals, and boarding areas as the construction of Singapore’s 5G@SEA, the world’s first public and largest 5G Maritime testbed to trial, create, and commercialise Maritime 5G use cases over the next ten years, would be made possible by the 5G coverage in the current port waters.
“As a nation with high ambitions for the transformative powers of 5G, we have rolled out our inland 5G coverage. In partnership with MPA, we now look to extend 5G coverage offshore. We look forward to being able to be one of the world’s first countries for automated ship movement and remote pilotage. IMDA is excited to see the next bound of Maritime innovation as we support Singapore’s efforts as a global Maritime capital,” says Lew Chuen Hong, Chief Executive, IMDA.
Maritime 5G coverage for Singapore’s offshore southern coasts will reduce turnaround time and improve efficiency for ships coming in and out of Singapore, which is home to one of the world’s busiest Maritime activities.
This collaboration, co-funded by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), will be a key enabler in supporting Singapore’s Maritime ambition to handle 65 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) upon Tuas Port’s completion in the 2040s.
The 5G Innovation and Ecosystem Development Programme of IMDA and the MPA’s Innovation Lab collaborated to create Singapore’s 5G@SEA Maritime testbed. A local mobile network provider will offer 5G SA network coverage as part of this partnership.
Singapore’s 5G@SEA Maritime testbed will speed up MarineTech research and development and enable the testing of new applications that can enhance Maritime innovation, job design & transformation, and safety once it is developed by the middle of 2025. Initial use cases will concentrate on Remote Assisted Pilotage Advisory (RAPA) for automation, productivity, and human safety as a starting point.
An MPA-licensed Harbour Pilot is required to physically board vessels 300 Gross Tonnes (GT) and greater entering the port of Singapore to give shipmasters instructions on how to manoeuvre the vessel safely through Singapore’s waters. A harbour pilot must currently travel from the pier to large boats in a tiny harbour craft before ascending a series of vertical ladders to the ship’s deck.
Using real-time video images that give them situational awareness of the ship, maritime 5G will allow these pilots to remotely guide the ship from a shore-based control centre. This eliminates the requirement for the pilot to physically board the ship. By converting the physically hard task of a harbour pilot to remote operations, RAPA will help to considerably increase service efficiency, resource utilisation, and safety.
Another potential future maritime use case is maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS), which will allow businesses to create and test new systems for ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communications, autonomous manoeuvres and remote control of ships.
MASS’s sensors are anticipated to produce a significant amount of vital data for tasks like docking and collision avoidance. In our crowded port waters, maritime 5G can offer a secure, high-performance network for the exchange of navigational safety data between MASS and between MASS and shore-based control centres.
Other maritime 5G use cases include shore-to-ship delivery, in which drones may transfer vital components to ships at sea swiftly in place of ships docking for essential inspections and repairs. Telemedicine via HD video streaming will make it easier for ships without onboard medical staff to provide speedy diagnoses for less serious patients.
