A review on 5G technology for smart energy management and smart buildings in Singapore

•Various benefits of 5G network applications were reviewed.•5G networks were shown to support IoT for the advancement of smart structures.•Artificial intelligence-based smart energy and building management were discussed. Sustainable and smart building is a recent concept that is gaining momentum in public opinion, and thus, it is making its way into the agendas of researchers and city authorities all over the world. To move towards sustainable development goals, 5G technology would make significant impacts are building construction, operation, and management by facilitating high-class services, providing efficient functionalities. It's well known that the Singapore is one of top smart cities in this world and from the first counties that adopted of 5G technology in various sectors including smart buildings. Based on these facts, this paper discusses the international trends in 5G applications for smart buildings, and R&D and test bedding works conducted in 5G labs. As well as, the manuscript widely reviewed and discussed the 5G technology development, use cases, applications and future projects which supported by Singapore government. Finally, the 5G use cases for smart buildings and build environment improvement application were discussed. This study can serve as a benchmark for researchers and industries for the future progress and development of smart cities in the context of big data.