Singapore's Singtel to bring Next Generation GPON service for residential customers

With an aim to deliver unique services and experience for its  customers, Singtel, a telecom operator in Singapore, has announced that it will be soon be deploying Next Generation GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) on its Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) network.

The service will be offered to a selected group of customers during the pilot phase that will begin in the next quarter. Singtel plans to make the service available to all fibre customers in the later part of the year.

The technology will give customers the option of a 10Gbps fibre broadband service, useful for applications such as running multiple 4K video sessions, where users will enjoy sharper pictures and richer colours. A 50GB HD video can be downloaded within a minute using a 10Gbps line. The maximum bandwidth currently available to customers is 1Gbps on Singtel’s Unlimited Fibre plan.

“Over 70 per cent of our customers are on fibre. We believe in constantly innovating and looking for ways to bring them better speeds using the newest technologies,” said Tay Soo Meng, Chief Technology Officer. “Most of these households already have multiple devices connected to their home network. The adoption of this technology will help us meet demand as the number of applications increase and become even more bandwidth intensive.”

Online gaming, remote medical services, and next-generation 3D TV are other applications that will benefit from the increased bandwidth. When 8K Ultra HD TV becomes commercially available, the 10Gbps fibre service will enable customers to see an astonishing 33.2 megapixels (7,680 x 4.320 pixel resolution), roughly the equivalent of an IMAXTM film, or 16 times the pixel resolution of Full HD.

Singtel is the currently the leader in the Singapore fibre market, with over 50 per cent market share.