StarHub and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) have signed a collaborative research agreement at Mobile World Congress to conduct joint trials and demonstrations of open radio access network (ORAN) implementation in the university’s Future Communications Connectivity Lab (FCCLab).
Besides providing engineers and specialists to offer counsel for the ORAN implementation and trials, StarHub will also provide relevant network equipment to supplement the FCCLab.
ORAN will allow developers to develop RAN-related applications more effectively such as artificial intelligence and machine learning-based radio optimisation applications, as well as optimised RAN power-saving applications.
“Singapore is set to enhance its technological infrastructure, and through this collaboration, we strive to enable more use cases for ORAN, allowing for new heights in network agility, scalability and innovation,” said Ayush Sharma (top left), Chief Technology Officer of StarHub.
Supported by Infocomm Media Development Authority and National Research Foundation Singapore, the Future Communications and R&D Programme (FCP) hosted at SUTD was developed with the goal of future-proofing Singapore’s communications and connectivity capabilities.
“As we further our commitment to position Singapore as a global hub for research and innovation in communication and connectivity technologies, this collaboration will allow us to build up capabilities and future communication technologies for lower latency usage, greater data privacy and security, and versatile user applications. It will also enable the development of drone applications and other use cases.” said Professor Tony Quek, Director of Singapore’s FCP at SUTD.
In the coming months, StarHub and SUTD plan to implement a 5G packet gateway in the premise of SUTD, bringing the core network element closer to the end-user.
Entelechy Asia 