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StarHub 5G: Test driving the brand-new trial network

By Liu Hongzuo - 29 Aug 2020

Testing: North of Singapore

North of Singapore

Over at Woodlands and Bishan, we wondered how the 5G network would've coped with peak hour traffic and usage. After all, the trial network still relies on 4G infrastructure to carry its network bandwidth.

Note: for all locations, we'll use the format of showing you our test spot, followed by the competing 4G network's speed test scores, and finally StarHub's test score.

 

Opposite Causeway Point

Competing 4G network, Test 1.Competing 4G network, Test 2.

StarHub 5G trial network, Test 1.StarHub 5G trial network, Test 2.

The 5G trial networks by StarHub has been showing rather consistent performance of ~160Mbps, which barely broke the scale of 5G standards. We should, however, take into consideration the timings and location of this particular test. It's evident that the influx of human traffic can have an adverse impact on network connectivity, which is what helps StarHub's 5G trial network stand out with more than 10x the speed even during challenging peak hours for networks.

 

Bus stop outside of Junction 8

Competing 4G network, Test 1.Competing 4G network, Test 2.

StarHub 5G trial network, Test 1.StarHub 5G trial network, Test 2.

At 3x the speed of 4G in the heart of Bishan, we are certainly pleased with the performance of StarHub's 5G trial network for consumers thus far. Again, it seems like the newborn network is barely getting a sense of itself, with its baseline 5G speeds and all. Perhaps it would boast higher numbers when more base stations are activated during its roll-out phase in the future. That said, do note that the 4G performance figures are from an actively functioning network with hundreds if not thousands of users versus StarHub's trial network that hardly has active users at this juncture.

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