Selected StarHub subscribers to be first in Singapore to have access to 5G network

SINGAPORE — Some of StarHub’s customers will be the first in the country to tap the 5G network when the telecommunications company rolls out its services on Tuesday (Aug 18).

In a press release on Monday, StarHub said that customers on its Mobile+ and Biz+ subscription plans will be able to “automatically experience some early 5G benefits” using compatible mobile devices now available in the market.

The fifth generation mobile broadband network has been touted to be 20 times faster than 4G networks, giving quicker download and upload speeds.

StarHub said that the early trial access to its 5G services is free for the selected subscribers in the lead-up to the full commercial launch next year.

For a start, customers on its Mobile+ or Biz+ subscription plans will be able to get its 5G services using the Huawei P40 Pro or Huawei P40 Pro+ 5G smartphones.

Those using the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, Samsung Note20 5G and Samsung Note20 Ultra 5G phones can expect to receive 5G software updates from Samsung in phases, starting from the end of this month.

Oppo X2 Pro phone users should be getting the 5G software updates from the company progressively from end-October.

StarHub said that it is working closely with a variety of phone manufacturers to enable customers to get more 5G-capable models.

It added that its 5G signals now cover 53 per cent of Singapore’s populated areas and are expected to expand to 70 per cent by next month.

“The areas include busy locations and major residential hubs, such as Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, the Central Business District, Clementi, Jurong, Orchard, Tampines, Woodlands and Yishun, among others,” it said.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said it supports mobile network operators’ plan to ride on existing 4G networks to deploy 5G non-standalone (NSA) networks as part of trials.

The 5G NSA networks will enable consumers to enjoy some 5G benefits such as faster mobile speeds on 5G-enabled devices.

Singapore remains on track to deploy two nationwide 5G standalone networks by 2025, IMDA said.

In June, IMDA granted licences to Singtel, a consortium formed by StarHub and M1, as well as TPG Telecom to operate 5G networks in Singapore.

The authority said that the telcos have met the requirements on network roll-out and performance, coverage, resilience, cyber security and vendor diversity.

The firms had won bids in late April to operate these networks in Singapore. StarHub and M1 had submitted a joint bid while Singtel and TPG Telecom put in solo bids.

StarHub and M1 said then that they have selected Nokia as the vendor to build the network core for the 5G infrastructure and will explore other vendors for other network elements.