About
This award-winning innovative project is an outdoor extension of the already established NUS indoor wireless network. In collaboration with StarHub, this setup utilises 5G to provide backhaul connectivity for outdoor wireless hotspots. They are each powered by solar energy, is self-sufficient and resource efficient. All of which are to achieve the goal of enhancing NUS’s connectivity experience in outdoor spaces, to empower and enable staff and students anywhere on campus to be connected to the NUS WIFI.
How it started:
To enhance NUS’ connectivity experience in outdoor spaces, we needed a solution that allowed staff and students anywhere on campus to be connected to the NUS WiFi. With our high-performance wireless network limited only to indoors, they can only connect to other networks when going outdoors. This challenge was further amplified during COVID-19 when it was imperative to implement safety measures like contact tracing as the campus has multiple points of entry and vast outdoor spaces.
As social distancing requires more outdoor spaces to be utilised, and with no connectivity to NUS WiFi, inconvenience abounds with limited access to campus resources.
Traditionally, for outdoor wireless deployment, excavation is required to lay fibre and power cable and the time to market is typically very long as it involves authority approval for road excavation, logistic arrangement, safety assessment, weather conditions, reinstatement, and more. The cost usually amounts to astronomical values when such heavy machinery and civil works are involved.
Outcome
Environmental & Social Impact
100% self-sustainable with use of solar energy as power
Cost Savings – S$2.8million
Mainly from not needing to lay underground conduits
Productivity Improvement
Time-to-deploy for each unit was reduced fivefold to just 4 days
Business Process Agility
Able to optimise functionality of WIFI with real-time insights
Employee Health & Safety
Proactive view of footfall to address crowd control especially during the COVID pandemic
Improved User Experience
Staff and students are now able to access resources from anywhere on campus, enhancing learning experience
To overcome the challenges:
We piloted Singapore’s first outdoor WiFi, powered by solar energy and 5G backhaul. Each unit is resource and energy efficient, and comprises a 5G router, solar charger, battery, an IoT gateway, and solar panels. The solution is elegant and wireless; not needing the laying of any underground fibre or power cables.
They were integrated with an IoT platform for data analytics, to gain insights for performance optimisation and sustainability, such as increasing uptime, especially in low light environments. The coverage is strong and reliable, able to reach the most far-flung corners of campus.
What's the good thing about it:
This unique and green solution is 100% self-sustainable, powered by solar energy that needs no fuel and generates no carbon emissions ensuring environmental sustainability and resource efficiency for our operations, and the IoT optimises power consumption based on surrounding lighting conditions.
Another advantage of NUS outdoor wireless using 5G backhaul is its portability. In traditional outdoor wireless deployments, hotspots are permanently fixed at the location once installed. Whereas in this deployment, the outdoor wireless hotspot can be moved easily from one location to another location without going through the painful excavation process to lay fibre and power cable, allowing us to optimize placement easily after installation.
