5G could support surveillance operations in Singapore, trial under way

The remote piloted drone using a 5G network being demonstrated during the 5G Sentosa Trial media showcase by HTX and DSTA on July 12. - ST

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Like a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie, a 3D hologram of Sentosa appears. Apprising the map of the island through mixed reality goggles, commanders in different parts of the country can interact with it while planning defence strategies.

This was one scenarios used to test the reliability of 5G’s connectivity for potential defence and homeland security operations that are video intensive and require minimal transmission lag.

Control of unmanned vehicles and drones were also part of the trial by the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) announced on Wednesday (July 12).

The trial aims to test a concept known as “network slicing” that is unique to 5G networks. Network slicing allows dedicated 5G bandwidth to be sliced and allocated to specified applications or services even though network resources are shared.

Working much like a bus lane during peak hours, network slicing ensures that mission-critical applications are not hindered by congestion created by other applications in other slices.

DSTA and HTX found that live video feeds captured from drones and unmanned ground vehicles can be transmitted in high resolution with almost no discernible lag time - a feat not possible over 4G networks. If implemented, this will be an upgrade from existing surveillance methods that involve multiple wired cameras.

“This trial is really a beginning,” said DSTA Head Capability Development (Data Network, 5G & loT) Infocomm Infrastructure Leow Kian Siang.

HTX Deputy Director of Enterprise Comms & Digital InfraToh Keng Han said that the trial could boost home team officers’ confidence in using 5G for mission-critical operations.

Where the initial phase of the trial used videos and data for controlling robots and drones to assess the network’s reliability, the next phase of evaluation will involve testing 5G with more of such data-intensive videos at major events such as National Day Parade and new year countdown. This will test the network’s ability to handle any spikes in traffic.

HTX also aims to extend the 5G trial to various Home Team assets such as ground robots, vehicles and vessels in future.