Singtel expands 5G mobile network, issues SIM cards

Singtel has deployed hundreds of 5G Standalone (SA) sites across the island in areas such as Orchard Road, the Central Business District, Harbourfront and Sentosa.
Singtel is also expanding its 5G in-building coverage, which began with VivoCity, to more indoor sites, starting with Ngee Ann City and selected Singtel Shops across Singapore.

Singtel’s 5G network runs on 3.5GHz spectrum. Since last September, Singtel has been operating 5G NSA network under a market trial, offering 5G speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps.

Singtel will begin issuing 5G SIM cards to customers from today.

Anna Yip, Chief Executive Officer, Consumer Singapore, Singtel, said: “Our engineers are working with handset manufacturers to complete testing and prepare the next-generation network for commercial launch.”
Singtel has upgraded its 5G radio access network with advanced radio technologies to connect to a cloud-native standalone 5G core network, enabling it to run 5G independently. The network will offer network slicing capabilities which allow for the dynamic distribution and optimisation of network resources to support applications.

New and re-contracting customers who opt for a 5G Now add-on or 5G XO Plus plans will receive Singtel’s new 5G SIM card for free (U.P. S$37.45) until 31 May 2021.

Existing customers with eligible plans can switch out their current SIM cards at no extra charge at all Singtel Shops, Singtel Exclusive Retailers, 24/7 unmanned store Singtel UNBOXED (now located at Plaza Singapura) and Singtel UNBOXED Lite multi-media kiosks at Tong Building on Orchard Road.