'5G can bring back your dead grandmother?': Internet amused by ghostly visuals on Singtel ad

Now that 5G is becoming mainstream thanks to the new iPhone 12 lineup, the possibility of a huge technological leap forward is just around the corner. 

5G connectivity cannot, however, bring back dead relatives. Maybe 6G, though. 

In any case, the internet is having a laugh at a Facebook post shared last Thursday (Oct 29), featuring a Singtel advertisement at the underpass of Bugis MRT. The telco wanted to illustrate the potential capabilities of 5G network — wireless internet connectivity that’s strong, stable and fast enough to enable a family to show their newborn child to grandma via hologram transmission. 

Very sci-fi, sure, but not entirely impossible judging from the potential of creating accurate 3D holograms through 5G-enabled video-capture technology.

Facebook user Darsh Daimontal however, had a different take on the advertisement visuals and joked that it looks like 5G connection managed to reanimate a deceased grandmother. 

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/DarshDaimontal/posts/10158035624453495[/embed]

To be fair, that small device shooting out the hologram does appear like how a Ghost Trap secures spirits temporarily in Ghostbusters. The visual lack of legs on the poster didn’t serve to invalidate the wraith-like representation. 

Singtel’s video commercial on 5G should be able to make things clearer. The ad imagines a future where dear old Ah Ma — who’s chilling at a void deck somewhere — can be easily summoned to the bedside of a hospital through a holographic call. 

Folks know this, of course. But the hilarity of the advertisement and the accompanying caption on Facebook is still quite clear, judging from the 5,400 shares, and counting, the post garnered.

AsiaOne has reached out to Singtel for their comments. 

ilyas@asiaone.com