SINGAPORE (June 11): The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), M1, and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will be conducting coastal 5G standalone network trials with Airbus at the Singapore Maritime Drone Estate.
The trials will include the testing of the world’s first aeronautical certified 5G standalone communication modem for urban air mobility (UAM) operations. The modem will be designed and developed by local SME TeamOne Technologies, in a collaboration with M1.
The trials are planned to be conducted in real-world situations, including in designated drone-fly zones, to ensure that unmanned aerial vehicles can operate safely and efficiently during all phases of their flights.
M1 and Airbus have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to conduct connectivity trials for in-land areas. This will enable both companies to address the growing interest in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for UAM for other industries.
During the trials, M1 will assess the use of 4G and 5G technologies to provide enhanced geo-location positioning information for all phases of UAS flights using network-based information.
“M1 has been a front runner in supporting the maritime industry to drive the adoption and application of smart 5G technologies… By bringing together the strong domain expertise of both M1 and Airbus, this partnership serves as a real test bed for shaping the future of Urban Air Mobility technologies by utilizing advanced 5G SA network,” says Manjot Singh Mann, CEO of M1.
“We are also excited to partner with a local company TeamOne, for the development of a tailor-made 5G SA communication modem that meets the stringent technical specifications required for Unmanned Aircraft System operations,” he added.
“We believe that 5G will sharpen Singapore’s competitive advantage as a key trading and connectivity hub in the region and beyond. IMDA is pleased to see tremendous interest by companies to develop innovative 5G use-cases. It is especially encouraging to see SMEs such as TeamOne playing a role in 5G innovation, and I would like to encourage other enterprises big and small to join us in building an open and inclusive 5G ecosystem,” says Tan Kiat How, chief executive of IMDA.
