Microsoft has signed an agreement with Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to provide a “development environment” to create 5G applications, services, and capabilities.
The development hub will be available to government agencies, enterprises, and technology companies in Singapore. These organisations will be able to receive support and guidance to build up proof-of-concept 5G applications on Microsoft's Azure cloud platform.
What does the partnership mean?
IMDA’s partnership with Microsoft is part of Singapore’s plans to drive the development and adoption of 5G applications. The government said in June that it was setting aside SG$40 million to build up the supporting ecosystem, and this included a development hub for private organisations to test 5G use cases.
IMDA's chief executive Tan Kiat How said that the agency was looking to establish more partnerships, including some with research institutions, to help drive 5G development.
New possibilities
"when we infuse data, artificial intelligence, and mixed reality into the cloud and power it with 5G, what you get is an intelligent cloud, and intelligent edge."
Microsoft Singapore MD, Kevin Wo.
Singapore is expected to have 5G networks covering more than half the country by the end of 2022. And deployment will begin next year, as two additional licenses will be available for telcos to run 5G services on existing 4G networks.
"The ability to harness the high speed, high capacity, and low latency of 5G technology will open up new possibilities and a proliferation of innovative cloud-based applications across various industries,” said Microsoft's Singapore managing director Kevin Wo. “And when we infuse data, artificial intelligence, and mixed reality into the cloud and power it with 5G, what you get is an intelligent cloud, and anintelligent edge, which presents tremendous potential for the industry to come together to nurture a local ecosystem to help transform enterprises."
This roll-out date is perhaps a more realistic time frame than in other countries, and it could also giving companies more time to adapt.
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