Singapore keeps on developing its smart city: M1 and Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) are now providing Wi-Fi to commuters on buses in Singapore.
M1 and Infocomm Development Authority (IDA), two companies working in the Singapore’s Telecom sector, have teamed up to provide free Wi-Fi to Singapore’s bus users. The project is part of the Heterogeneous Network Trial (HetNet Trial), a communication infrastructure that provides robust connectivity and expedites a more efficient utilization of network resources, by enabling seamless switching between different networks. According to Khoong Hock Yun, IDA assistant CEO, the “HetNet technological innovation is expected to bring about immediate and long-term benefits for citizens”.Through this free Wi-Fi service project, the two companies can now provide what they call “Wi-Fi On-the-Go” on two SMRT (Singapore’s public bus transport company) buses. The idea is that M1 provides mobile connectivity (4G) all along the bus route. A smart in-vehicle unit, installed inside each bus, will broadcast a Wi-Fi signal continuously, so that commuters on board will be able to stay connected to the “Wireless@SG” network and enjoy free Wi-Fi during their journey. M1 and IDA will then provide also a paid Wi-Fi service, by using a carrier aggregation for backhaul that makes the network 10 times faster than Wireless@SG.
“Wi-Fi On-the-go” will be a real plus for everyday travelers and can also benefit to tourism activities, by offering complementary services while traveling, such as stream live video, transactional services etc.
It’s not the first time that Singapore experiments with this kind of projects, as the city is really focused on introducing smart public services and, as of lately, Singapore is considered the first Smart Nation in the world. The final objective is to improve the nation’s quality of life and increase business productivity by connecting everyone, everything and everywhere, all the time.
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