The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has awarded 3.5-GHz, 26 GHz and 28 GHz 5G nationwide spectrum licenses on 29 April 2020, ahead of its mid-2020 schedule. The IMDA awarded Singapore Telecommunications and StarHub/M1 each 100 MHz of 3.5GHz spectrum, paired with an 800 MHz band of millimeter wave spectrum,
That Singapore is moving fast is not new. What might be more surprising is that the construction timetable arguably is stretched out.
Fitch Ratings expects the 3.5GHz spectrum band to be freed up in 2021. The IMDA aims to achieve 50 percent 5G coverage by the end of 2022, with nationwide coverage by end-2025. Keep in mind that Singapore is only 279 square miles in area.
That sedate pace might suggest a belief that the use cases for 5G are not so immediate and compelling that construction must be swift. On the other hand, Singapore also will build 5G standalone networks, not using the non-standalone version other service providers have chosen to deploy as an interim step.
Fitch 2.1 GHz and 4.5 GHz assets also will become available for 5G use in the future.
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