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| Source: SWSPG website. |
The IDA announcement affirms SWSPG’s vision for how TVWS can be successfully transformed into high-quality wireless connectivity channels in Singapore for broadband access, backhaul, and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, enabling vast applications that can support the development of Singapore as a Smart Nation.
Since its inception in April 2012, the SWSPG has been working closely with IDA and industry partners to explore the commercial value of TVWS spectrum and associated technologies for Singapore. The group, in association with both public and private sector partners, has conducted multiple commercial pilots in over 40 project sites throughout Singapore, including major landmarks such as the Gardens by the Bay and Sentosa; businesses and organisations such as Singapore Island Country Club, National University of Singapore, the Eurokars Group, NatSteel and Jurong Shipyard; as well as projects over coastal waters, across the streets of the Central Business District, and in residential estates.
These pilot projects provided services and applications ranging from extending broadband connectivity to tourists, customers, and citizens, to enabling M2M communications such as smart metering and security surveillance. The seven key findings from the pilots are:
1. TVWS radios demonstrated superb advantage in range and coverage;
2. TVWS radios can co-exist well with other radio technologies without causing harmful interference;
3. TVWS radios are cost-effective, easy to install and fast to deploy;
4. TVWS radios can be used in a wide range of scenarios, ranging from long-range backhaul to M2M applications;
5. There are strong interest and market demand from both public sector organisations and private sector businesses in utilising TVWS for various connectivity needs that are under-served by current telecommunications infrastructure and services;
6. TVWS radio products are maturing but have yet to enable “consumerisation”, pending the availability of TVWS chipsets, which is projected in the next 12 months; and
7. The efforts by SWSPG under IDA’s regulatory leadership has spurred significant interest in many Asian nations to develop their own TVWS pilots and projects.
Dr Lee Shiang Long, Executive Director of A*STAR’s Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R), said: “There is great potential in TVWS and the industry will be able to deploy TVWS in many different consumer and commercial environments.”
In response to this latest TVWS development in Singapore, StarHub is exploring how it can host and operate a TVWS geo-location database to help jumpstart commercial adoption of TVWS.
StarHub intends to lead a multi-partner effort, with a focus on SMEs and start-ups, to create an eco-system that will accelerate the commercial deployment of TVWS in support of Singapore’s Smart Nation vision. As an initial component of the partnership, StarHub is partnering National University of Singapore for its research capabilities and leveraging its campus environment as a miniature smart city. StarHub will also partner Microsoft for its global experiences in TVWS development as well as smart city platforms such as its CityNext initiative.
Mock Pak Lum, Chief Technology Officer of StarHub, said: “We are excited about the setting up of a regulatory framework for TVWS in Singapore. With this framework in place, SWSPG members can now move confidently beyond commercial pilots to commercial and scale deployments in Singapore. As a leading info-communications provider in Singapore, we intend to spearhead the TVWS development further to encourage adoption and more importantly, innovation to meet the evolving needs of enterprises and consumers.”
Jessica Tan, Managing Director, Microsoft Singapore, said: “IDA’s regulatory framework for TVWS is an exciting step towards realizing Singapore’s Smart Nation vision. Ubiquitous communications is a foundation for maximising the potential of disruptive technologies such as mobility, cloud computing, and Internet of things in shaping how we work, live and play tomorrow.”
In its recently published “Infocomm Media in 2025” consultation document, the Singapore government has called out Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA), the spectrum-sharing model represented by TVWS, as an effective measure in alleviating spectrum scarcity. IDA’s TVWS regulatory framework is a swift and concrete step along this direction.
Under this new regulation, TVWS can usher wider access to wireless broadband. For example, TVWS radios can be used to enhance the Wireless@SG free Wi-Fi service across Singapore. At Gardens by the Bay, TVWS has already been deployed as part of the Wireless@SG infrastructure to provide free Wi-Fi access to visitors in a reliable and cost-efficient manner, without intrusive equipment and wiring built-ups over its greenery.
In support of the Smart Nation vision, TVWS can be used to connect indoor and outdoor sensors, for street lighting control, energy management, environmental monitoring, traffic management, and smart grid etc.
Kerk See Gim, Project Director, Power Automation, said: “TVWS technologies have a huge potential to deliver information at high data rates over long distances, with low latency and at low cost. Applied to power grids, this makes it possible to link millions of loads in buildings and homes, across large areas to support demand management and improve grid balancing between generations such as traditional fossil power plants and vastly distributed renewables such as solar or energy storage solutions to make a more reliable and efficient grid.”
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