May 30, 2023

Picture: Getty Photos/Gilnature

M1 has unveiled 4 5G choices tailor-made for corporations within the maritime trade, together with a telemedicine service that may ship out medical provides — through drone — from shore to staff on a ship. 

Obtainable as bundles that embody units akin to routers and wearables, the service choices will run on the Singapore cell operator’s 5G standalone community. The launch is a part of M1’s efforts to supply protection for the southern coast of Singapore and a wider strategic focus to establish new income streams. 

Additionally: The most effective drones: Which flying digital camera is best for you?

The cell provider started its 5G journey in 2019 and knew it couldn’t rely solely on connectivity as a income, mentioned M1 CEO Manjot Singh Mann in the course of the launch. The corporate’s new tailor-made choices underscore the necessity to ship full service packages that supply value-add to prospects past 5G connectivity. 

Many of those packages will probably be created with key companions, which is able to assist to make sure M1 prospects can profit from tight integration with pre-tested elements. The cell operator mentioned these partnerships additionally cut back the necessity for purchasers to establish and procure completely different elements individually. 

Below its SMARTsafe providing, for instance, M1 has teamed up with Fullerton Well being to supply telemedicine companies to staff onboard vessels at sea. Fullerton’s telemedicine app will run on M1’s 5G community and facilitate stay consultations with healthcare professionals on shore. When wanted, drones may be activated to ship drugs from shore to the affected person onboard the ship. 

Additionally: Are shoppers prepared for drone supply?

The service will probably be accessible from July this yr as soon as key particulars are ironed out, together with pricing and repair stage agreements (SLAs). Below Fullerton’s present telemedicine SLA, drugs have to be delivered to sufferers inside three hours from the time of session. An evaluation will decide whether or not these SLAs this may be met with drone deliveries. 

There may even should be a evaluation of present telemedicine normal working procedures (SOPs) to make sure they’re ample for the maritime surroundings. 

Fullerton has a workforce of medical professionals who’re educated in methods to help its telemedicine service, together with learn how to resume connectivity within the occasion of a drop name, mentioned Walter Lim, Fullerton Well being’s Singapore managing director. The healthcare firm at the moment handles 1,000 telemedicine calls a day and helps company purchasers, akin to PSA.

Additionally: Samsung trials drone-based 5G community inspection service

Lim mentioned to ZDNET on the sidelines of the launch that Fullerton will entrance discussions with potential prospects for the M1 SMARTsafe telemedicine service. 

Nice particulars for the service are nonetheless being labored out however he mentioned it would in all probability embrace a “starter package”, which incorporates obligatory {hardware} tools, akin to a 5G router supplied by M1. 

Lim mentioned there may even probably be a minimal month-to-month retainer price that is supplied alongside a “largely pay-as-you-use” pricing mannequin, so prices may be stored low for purchasers, with extra charges required if drone deliveries are activated.

In addition to the telemedicine module, the SMARTsafe providing encompasses employee security companies that goal to detect danger and predict accidents through machine studying. Priced from SG$400 a month for a package deal that helps 10 staff, the service contains Samsung Galaxy good watches. The service facilitates the monitoring of significant indicators to detect incidents, akin to falls, in addition to emergency connectivity and security alerts. 

The launch additionally contains SMARTsecure, which M1 mentioned gives inexpensive and dependable connectivity between sea and land for safety surveillance. In conventional techniques, footage from CCTV put in on vessels is saved on storage playing cards and solely accessibly on website. 5G provision means surveillance movies may be streamed to shore for monitoring in addition to analytics. 

Additionally: As trade lauds 5G potential, companies might want to justify funding

SMARTsecure service bundles for real-time maritime surveillance can be found from SG$5,000 and embrace a 5G router, community video recorder, and two high-definition video cameras.  

One other service, SMARTops, facilitates distant inspection and is bundled with units, akin to good glasses. 

Additionally: Singapore college to faucet IoT, 5G in good campus trial

Lastly, SMARTasset service — which will probably be accessible within the third quarter of this yr — faucets autonomous robotics to help inspection and upkeep of crucial maritime property.

In 2019, Singapore outlined a number of initiatives to drive 5G innovation and adoption, together with a SG$40 million pot to construct up the supporting ecosystem, and targeted efforts on six key verticals that included maritime and concrete mobility. 

In 2021, grants have been supplied to assist startups pilot initiatives and testbed applied sciences for maritime purposes. The Singapore authorities has ambitions of turning into the “Silicon Valley of the maritime world”.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *