M1 Limited (M1) launched their 5G NSA network on 24 September 2020. Being the first telco to launch an affordable 5G plan for everyone, we took the opportunity to test out the speed using a Huawei P40 Pro handset with M1 SIM with 5G booster enabled.
Before you can do that, you will need a compatible handset (listed on m1 website) and sign up a 5G booster plan. Starting at just $15 for 25GB and up to $40 for 100GB, the 5G Booster packs will be extended to all M1 customers with compatible 5G NSA devices. Customers who sign up for this 5G Booster pack before the end of 2020 will get to enjoy up to 70% discount on the 5G Booster pack for six months, along with a year-long free subscription to VIU. Starting from tomorrow, customers will be able to sign up for the 5G Booster pack at www.m1.com.sg/5G/5Go and start enjoying the 5G experience with M1.
M1’s 5G NSA network is up and running in CBD, Orchard Road, Suntec City and Marina Bay.
SA vs NSA network
So, what is NSA network and SA network ?
Non-standalone (NSA) and standalone (SA) are two 5G tracks that communication service providers can opt for when transitioning from 4G to the next-generation mobile technology. Stand alone means no sharing of 4G base stations
Simply, the NSA is not the real 5G but uses in this case band 1 (2100 MHz) and have software scheduling to improve speeds by aggregating other carrier bands e.g. LTE bands 3,7 or 8
Expectations of a 10X faster download speed isn’t realistic unless we are talking about a full fledge Stand alone (SA) network in 2021 or later.
On the next page, we visited 6 places in Singapore downtown areas to do our speedtest.
[nextpage title=”Speedtest at Bugis Junction, OCBC Centre, Amoy St market”]
Speedtest results at 6 locations in Down town Singapore
The speedtest is run against 3 random servers.
Toast Box, outside Bugis Junction 1620 hrs
| Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) |
| 111 | 48.4 |
| 157 | 40.31 |
| 108 | 50.69 |
OCBC centre 1653 hrs
| Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) |
| 137 | 37.6 |
| 142 | 45.57 |
| 138 | 41.3 |
Amoy Street Food Centre 1712 hrs
| Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) |
| 121 | 43.9 |
| 121 | 38.6 |
| 110 | 36.8 |
[nextpage title=”Speedtest at URA, Craig Road and Amara Hotel”]
URA building 1725 hrs
| Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) |
| 170 | 50 |
| 188 | 49.5 |
| 184 | 53.6 |
Craig Road, 1740 hrs
| Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) |
| 151 | 30.4 |
| 148 | 20 |
| 148 | 26.5 |
Opp Arama Hotel 1752
| Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) |
| 173 | 51.4 |
| 143 | 42.5 |
| 178 | 43.4 |
[nextpage title=”Conclusion”]
Conclusion
During the tests, it is noticable that the ping time is pretty low at 9 ms. The only instance where we get a 48 ms is due to the sudden change over between 4G to 5G network at the URA building.
Although it is possible to get such speeds using 4G+ at specific locations in building or under the cell e.g. in some supermarts, NSA 5G promises a speed that is attainable in the outdoors.
Currently the areas supported are
- Central/Downtown
- West: NUS, Dover
Areas (outdoor only) to be covered soon are:
- West: Boon Lay, Jurong East, Clementi, Buona Vista
- North-West: Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Panjang, Bukit Batok
- North: Woodlands, Yishun
- North-East: Toa Payoh, Bishan, Ang Mo Kio, Serangoon, Hougang
- East: Paya Lebar, Marine Parade, Bedok, Simei, Tampines, Pasir Ris, Changi Airport
There are only a couple of handsets supported and they are Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G, Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G, Samsung Z Galaxy Fold2, Galaxy S20 FE, Huawei P40 Pro 5G and iPhone 12/iPhone 12Pro.
The current devices which support both 5G NSA & 5G SA network are Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G, Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G, Samsung Z Galaxy Fold2, Galaxy S20 FE, Huawei P40 Pro 5G. However, the devices which support only 5G NSA and don’t support 5G SA network are iPhone 12/iPhone 12Pro.
So, if you intend to buy other cheaper 5G smartphones from Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, sorry to say that most of it will not work as they are not ‘provisioned’.
[Update: OnePlus 8T seems to be working very well out of the box]
For example, we have a Samsung S20 Ultra 5G but it won’t login to the M1 5G NSA network but the same handset can be used on the Starhub’s 5G NSA network.
In conclusion, if you are going on 5G, please make sure you check which handsets will work on the local telco. Different telcos might support different manufacturer and models.
What are your thoughts of the 5G NSA speed ? Comment below.