Singtel and Ericsson are set to collaborate on what the two described as Singapore’s first 5G trial, scheduled to take place during the last quarter of the year.

The network will be deployed at the country’s science and technology hub One-North. During the pilot drones and autonomous vehicles will be among the devices being used to assess the capabilities of the new technology standard.

Singtel received spectrum from government agency Info-Communications Media Development Authority (ICMDA) to perform the tests, based on the recently finalised 3GPP 5G standards for mobile broadband.

The operator said it expected its 5G trials to record mobile broadband speeds 10 times faster than average 4G performance with much lower latency.

In a statement, Singtel CTO Mark Chong said: “5G has the potential to accelerate the digital transformation of industries, as well as empower consumers with innovative applications. We are pleased to take another bold step in our journey to 5G with our 5G pilot network at One-North.”

The ICMDA added it would continue to work closely with operators on work to “build communication capabilities of the future.”