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.