M1 Limited (M1), a prominent Mobile Network Operator in Singapore, has announced its collaboration with Fullerton Health, a leading healthcare platform in Asia, to introduce 5G-powered telemedicine services for the maritime industry. This will be facilitated by M1’s newly launched 5G SMARTsafe solutions and is a significant step in M1’s journey to provide widespread 5G standalone (SA) offshore coverage for Singapore’s Southern Coast, following the announcement of Maritime 5G testbed efforts last August.
M1’s 5G-powered solution-in-a-box suite, a first-of-its-kind in Southeast Asia, includes scalable industry solutions such as M1 SMARTsafe, M1 SMARTsecure, M1 SMARTasset, and M1 SMARTops. This approach enables M1 to provide not only 5G connectivity but also end-to-end servicing as a value-add to customers, leading to the creation of new revenue streams.
Under SMARTsafe, Fullerton and M1 will provide 5G-powered telemedicine services to seafarers working onboard vessels out at sea, including live teleconsultations with healthcare professionals onshore and the delivery of medicine to ship crews from the shore, utilizing 5G-enabled drones. This telemedicine service is set to launch officially in July 2023 and will be available to all seafarers or employees of shipping companies in Singapore, as long as they are connected to M1’s 5G network.
Additionally, M1 has launched 5G-powered maritime surveillance as part of its SMARTsecure solution offerings. This enables vessels at sea to set up real-time video surveillance systems and receive seamless footage as they would on land.
M1’s plug-and-play approach enables easier integration and deployment of 5G-powered solutions for companies in the maritime industry, with more industries to follow in the future. The suite of solutions includes M1 SMARTsafe for worker safety solutions, M1 SMARTsecure for security surveillance and management, M1 SMARTasset for asset uptime solutions, and M1 SMARTops for workforce productivity solutions, all aimed at driving greater adoption through seamless integration with pre-tested components of M1’s 5G network.
M1’s CEO, Mr. Manjot Singh Mann, said that this launch is a testament to their promise to deliver readily available innovative 5G solutions that can be adopted and rolled out easily by businesses to improve business efficiency. Fullerton Health’s CEO, Mr. Ho Kuen Loon, noted that the partnership with M1 greatly improves the usability and accessibility of Fullerton Health’s services, while Mr. Kiren Kumar, Deputy CEO of Development at IMDA, welcomed more companies to work with them to further boost Singapore as a leading regional hub for 5G innovation.