Telecommunications company M1 and local bike-sharing firm SG Bike signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today to improve the parking situation in Singapore.
Under the MOU, the companies will explore utilising Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology to further enhance SG Bike’s existing geostation solution.
The NB-IoT network will allow for real-time monitoring and communication to track and retrieve bicycles that are not parked within the designated bicycle parking zones.
Unlike current geo-fencing technologies which utilises GPS coordinates, SG Bike’s geostation technology enables greater accuracy and control over indiscriminate parking of its shared bicycles through Radio-frequency identification (RFID).
Users can benefit from the provision of accurate data of bicycle location and availability. Operationally, SG Bike can better handle and respond to indiscriminately parked bicycles.
Potentially, the RFID technology deployed can be implemented onto other sharing devices, including umbrellas and scooters.
“We are thrilled to work with SG Bike to enable Singapore to truly benefit from the bike-sharing scheme, in an effort to accelerate our journey into a ‘car-lite’ society,” said Mr Alex Tan, Chief Innovation Officer, M1. “As a leading IoT service provider, we look forward to support SG Bike with the implementation of an efficient IoT solution nationwide to enhance the aesthetics of the city, as well as the safety and wellbeing of our communities.”
Chief Executive Officer of SG Bike, Mr Albert Teng said, “We are pleased to be in this partnership with M1, the first NB-IoT network operator in Singapore to explore using this licensed network to improve our services. We currently have over 1,300 geostations installed nationwide, and we are excited to see how this partnership can further improve our technology to help bike sharing become a success in Singapore.”
The geostation technology was first introduced by SG Bike in August 2017 to deter indiscriminate parking. Indiscriminate parking of shared bicycles by users has been an issue in recent months. The authorities have been putting in more measures to ensure the population of bicycles are parked within designated parking places.