The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), a statutory board of the Singapore Government, was formed on 1 December 1999 when the government merged the National Computer Board (NCB) and Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS), as a result of a growing convergence of information technology and telephony.
Prior to the merger, NCB, which was formed on 1 September 1981 under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance, one of the board’s most crucial functions was to implement the computerisation of the civil service. NCB also served as the central authority in promoting, implementing and co-ordinating information systems development work in government ministries.
TAS was established on 1 October 1982 under the merger of the former Telecommunication Authority of Singapore and the Postal Services Department to provide and operate a good and sufficient information communication service, which comprised telecommunication and postal services. TAS also acted as the national authority and to advise the Government on matters relating to information communications.
In 2006, Singapore celebrated 25 Years of infocomm development. The Government and the industry put together a series of activities that showcased the pioneering efforts that went into making Singapore a leading user of infocomm technology. One of these activities included a commemorative publication, titled "Innovationation: 25 Years of Infocomm in Singapore". The publication comprises four books and traced the journey from when computerisation started in 1981, to how convergence led to infocomm today. Lively illustrations, anecdotes and interviews with infocomm pioneers fill this definitive encyclopaedia of Singapore's infocomm legacy. For those who are interested to unveil the history, the books are available at all public libraries.
