Singapore telco Singtel has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with local firm Surbana Jurong to form an alliance integrating technology and infrastructure to co-create smart city options that will accelerate the transformation of key industries.

To kickstart the partnership, the two companies will first focus on smart and sustainable integrated facilities management.

Surbana Jurong, which designs, plans and manages some of the largest urban and infrastructure facilities around the world, will provide the scope required to pilot the application of technology, while Asian communications group Singtel brings on board its capabilities in 5G and emerging technologies to transform industries.

“This agreement will bring together a talent force of technologists and innovators to enable businesses to advance their transformation in smart and sustainable ways,” said Wong Heang Fine, group CEO of Surbana Jurong. “Leveraging Singtel’s expertise, Surbana Jurong’s multidisciplinary capabilities, 5G and advanced technologies, this partnership of two industry leaders has the potential to accelerate the creation of smart and sustainable cities globally.”

The partnership will integrate Singtel’s 5G multi-access edge compute and Surbana Jurong’s P24K suite of facility management systems to create a 5G-powered data aggregation and management platform that tracks, monitors and manages multiple operations simultaneously. The integrated system will aggregate data about space, water, energy, utilisation and indoor air quality from sensors to help facility managers drive greater operational efficiency and achieve their smart and sustainable goals.

“The pandemic has accelerated the digitalisation of many enterprises, transforming their capabilities and business models,” said Bill Chang, CEO at Singtel. “Through this strategic partnership with Surbana Jurong, with our combined capabilities and leveraging Singtel’s 5G edge cloud platform, we will support our targeted industries’ digital transformation and help in their post-Covid recovery with advan and sustainable solutions. Our successful showcase in Singapore will create iconic references and open the doors to more exciting opportunities in the region.”

One of the key services the integrated system supports is building security. From delivering intelligent surveillance and monitoring, providing greater situational awareness to security providers, the integrated system can help users, tenants and visitors in smart buildings anticipate and respond more swiftly to security incidents. In addition, both companies are also exploring the use of drones to inspect, maintain and monitor buildings remotely for security.

Singtel has presence in Asia, Australia and Africa and reaches more than 700 million mobile customers in 21 countries. Its infrastructure and technology services for businesses span 21 countries, with more than 428 direct points of presence in 362 cities.

Surbana Jurong is an urban, infrastructure and managed services consulting firm, with over 70 years of track record in project delivery. Headquartered in Singapore, the group has a global talent pool of over 16,000 across Surbana Jurong and its member companies Aetos, Atelier Ten, B+H, KTP, Prostruct, RBG, SAA, Sino-Sun and Smec, based in more than 120 offices in over 40 countries. They include architects, designers, planners, engineers and other specialists.

Surbana Jurong has built more than a million homes in Singapore, created master plans in more than 30 countries and developed over 100 industrial parks globally.