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PSA to conduct 5G trials in move toward smart port environment

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Port operator PSA International has appointed Singapore telcos Singtel and M1 to conduct trials for the use of 5G in smart port management.

A SGD40m ($29.5m) national budget has been set aside that will be given out over one year for the development of this next-frontier 5G Trial Tech Call in port operations, where an operator can remotely control driverless cranes and trucks to load and unload containers, or remotely inspect machines using driverless drones.

Through the 5G Trial Tech Call collaboration, PSA will provide a live testing ground to gain a deeper understanding around the potential of 5G technology and integration capabilities, before moving to a more widespread adoption phase of a Smart Port. The 5G trial will serve as a testbed for the development of 5G networks and capabilities.

Maritime operations is one of six strategic clusters where 5G applications are expected to generate the most value for Singapore in global export, according to S. Iswaran, Singapore minister for communications and information. The other five clusters are urban mobility, smart estates management, smart manufacturing, and government and consumer applications.

Trials are PSA are expected to start in the third quarter of this year.

Read more: China Merchants 5G intelligent port innovation lab inaugurated at Shenzhen

"5G is expected to play a key role in Singapore's digital transformation and is aligned with PSA's strategy... to boost productivity in our current terminals and the future container port in Tuas," said Ong Kim Pong, regional chief executive officer of PSA International in Southeast Asia.

Earlier this year, M1 announced that it was partnering Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) for the test bedding of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) in Singapore waters. The collaboration leverages M1's ultra-low latency 4.5G network connectivity to establish reliable ship-to-shore communication links and to support Internet-of-Things (IoT) maritime applications.