Microsoft to support 5G development efforts in Singapore

Microsoft has signed a Memorandum of Intent with Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to provide a "development environment" to facilitate the creation of 5G applications, services, and capabilities. Together, the two organisations will provide technical consultancy and offer best practices on 5G standards, interoperability, and design principles. The development hub is available to participating government agencies, enterprises, and technology companies in Singapore, where these organisations would be able to receive guidance and support to build up proof-of-concept 5G applications on Microsoft's Azure cloud platform. The partnership with Microsoft was a part of IMDA's efforts to drive the development and adoption of 5G applications, where the Singapore government agency in June said it was setting aside SG$40 million to build up the supporting ecosystem. These included the development of testbeds that government and private organisations could tap to run their 5G use cases, such as IMDA's PIXEL--scheduled to launch in the first half of next year--which would serve as a 5G lab for technology and media startups.