Progress of Rolling Out 5G Network in Singapore

Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Minister for Communications and Information what is the progress of rolling out a 5G network in Singapore.

The Minister for Communications and Information (Mr S Iswaran): Mr Speaker, fifth generation (5G) technology and networks will be a critical part of Singapore’s Digital Economy. I announced at the Committee of Supply debates earlier this year that we plan to commence the rollout of 5G mobile networks by 2020. We are on track to achieve this target. Today, the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) launched a public consultation on the appropriate regulatory framework, spectrum allocation and other policies associated with 5G.

To further differentiate Singapore’s 5G strategy, we also aim to advance innovation in secure 5G applications and services in tandem with our 5G network deployment process. One important aspect of this is developing key 5G use-cases, especially for enterprise applications, that we can potentially export to the rest of the world. IMDA has been leading this effort, engaging industry players and Government agencies in early trials and test-bedding.

The feedback gained through IMDA’s public consultation will inform our policies to facilitate the 5G network rollout and help identify innovative and impactful 5G applications. I encourage all industry players and other stakeholders to actively participate in this consultation.

Mr Speaker: Mr Ang Wei Neng.

Mr Ang Wei Neng (Jurong): I thank the Minister for the comprehensive reply. I have three supplementary questions. Firstly, is IMDA thinking of providing the basic infrastructure for the 5G network or is the Minister leaving it to the telecommunications companies (telcos) to install their own 5G network? Secondly, has the Government mandated any 5G vendor to be involved or not to be involved in the building of 5G network in Singapore? The question is being asked in the light of the United States (US) pressurising allies not to use certain 5G vendors in their respective countries. Thirdly, is the Government prepared to bring more telcos into Singapore in tandem with the 5G network, or does the Minister feel that it is already optimal in terms of the number of telcos in Singapore?

Mr S Iswaran: Speaker, I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. First, in terms of the 5G network infrastructure, the approach is simple. IMDA, on behalf of the Government, will eventually call for proposals. The infrastructure itself, as with 3G and 4G, will be owned and deployed by private sector companies, in other words, the telcos, who are licensees of IMDA. That would be the approach we will take. It is not different to the approach that has been taken in other parts of the world.

I will take the third question next – are we open to more telcos? The Member would be aware that we concluded an exercise a few years back which brought in a fourth mobile telco operator. Right now, our focus is on the deployment of 5G, working with the existing suite of telco players that we have in Singapore.

Finally, on vendor restrictions, which I think is the question the Member is asking, our focus is on ensuring that our network is resilient, diverse and, therefore, able to accommodate different types of scenarios and is robust. And we want to ensure its reliability through these elements. So, that is our focus and we are engaging with the industry in consultation to assess how best to achieve that objective for, not just individual networks, but for our system as a whole.