Page 61 - Frontier Technologies to Protect the Environment and Tackle Climate Change

Frontier Technologies to Protect the Environment and Tackle Climate Change

As the network of WaterWiSe sensors continue to expand, the systems’ operators will need
to be equipped with the necessary data and tools for timely incident management and
continual improvement of response times in order to serve customers optimally. WaterWiSe
relies on a generic wireless sensor network for online monitoring of the city’s entire water
distribution system. The network is linked to PUB’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
(SCADA) system to exchange sensor data. Real-time telemetry is a powerful tool for a city
or utility to employ, which is why a scalable sensor network needs a stronger, more reliable
platform for cellular connectivity as it expands.

This is where 5G technology can best be leveraged, offering value for integrated platforms
such as WaterWiSe that are built to monitor in real-time and to generate and mine vast
datasets for predictive and actionable insights. Traditional 4G speeds could potentially result
in connectivity issues, which would mean that true real-time is not achievable, including
due to the power requirements, large batteries, etc. needed to transmit data in real or even
near real time.

Singapore is on the cusp of rolling out 5G mobile network technology for wide-scale
commercial use this year in 2020, with the early adoption phase already started. Since 2017,
its three incumbent network operators – Singtel, StarHub and M1 – have been conducting 5G
trials with industry partners such as Ericsson.Singapore’s Minister for Communications and

Information, H.E.S. Iswaran, confirmed the possible use of 5G connectivity for nationwide
sensor networks. Singapore’s example also shows that populous regions or cities with ‘fast-
growing, increasingly digital economies that have a desire for speed and connectivity’ are
optimal test beds for frontier technologies, such as 5G, and their applications. Projections
by Frost & Sullivan show that there will be 280 million 5G subscriptions in the Asia-Pacific
(APAC) region by 2022, with 5G service revenues reaching USD 4.5 billion.

The drive for continual innovation is reflected in Singapore’s commitment to smart improvement of
its utilities’ infrastructure, which has seen the city-state apply its expertise from the smart water grid
project to a new pilot project to create an energy-efficient wastewater treatment process using smart
monitoring and advanced control strategies. This work is backed by financial support provided by
the Singapore Economic Development Board (SEDB), which has encouraged water companies to use
Singapore as a ‘living laboratory’ and transform the city into a global ‘hydro hub’. Singapore’s Public
Utilities Board (PUB) will collaborate with SUEZ Environnement, a French resources management
company, to develop innovative solutions, before scaling the solutions city-wide. 181

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