The strategic goal of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is to cultivate a vibrant and competitive infocomm industry in Singapore - one that attracts foreign investment and sustains long-term GDP growth through innovative infocomm technology development, deployment and usage in Singapore - in order to enhance the global economic competitiveness of Singapore.
IDA seeks to achieve this objective in its roles as the infocomm industry champion, the national infocomm master-planner and developer, and the Government CIO.
One of IDA's key responsibilities is creating a conducive, innovative, and competitive infocomm environment that is both pro-consumer and pro-business. The IDA develops policies, standards, codes of practices and advisory guidelines for the infocomm industry. One main objective is to encourage effective competition in the telecommunications market in Singapore. It also monitors local and global infocomm market trends, developments and regulatory measures, while remaining technology neutral, to ensure that infocomm policies and regulatory frameworks remain effective and relevant in a dynamic and rapidly changing world. IDA represents Singapore in many global and regional fora to discuss infocomm policies and issues that concern the world community.
As Singapore's infocomm industry champion, the IDA spares no effort to develop a vibrant infocomm ecosystem comprising local infocomm enterprises, leading multinational corporations (MNCs), innovative infocomm technopreneurs, and start-ups. IDA actively seeks opportunities to grow the infocomm industry in both the domestic and international markets. Through bilateral agreements and partnerships with other governments, and with offices in China, India, the United States and Qatar, the IDA seeks to facilitate the venturing of Singapore infocomm companies into the global market.
To support growth of the infocomm industry, IDA aims to develop an infocomm savvy and globally competitive workforce. Working closely with the industry, IDA looks into development roadmaps that will help to groom infocomm professionals with the breadth of technology know-how, good understanding of business requirements and capability to create intellectual property. In addition, IDA works towards attracting top talent to the infocomm profession through scholarships and active promotion among schools on infocomm as a career choice.
Singapore has an international reputation for the effective use of infocomm technology to drive economic development and social growth. As part of the infocomm master-planning for Singapore, IDA ensures that a robust national infocomm infrastructure is in place to meet the needs of the government, businesses and people. Moving forward with the iN2015 master-plan, IDA seeks to build the next generation national infocomm infrastructure that comprises complementary wired and wireless networks. The wired broadband network or Next Generation National Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) will deliver ultra-high broadband symmetric speeds of 1Gbps and above, to all homes, offices and schools, while the Wireless Broadband Network (WBN) will offer pervasive connectivity around Singapore.
IDA promotes the adoption of infocomm technology as a key enabler to enhance Singapore's economic competitiveness. It works with both public and private organisations to spearhead the strategic use of infocomm, encouraging innovation as well as research and development in emerging areas like digital media. IDA has an excellent track record for master-planning infocomm projects for the government. It also works with the industry to harness infocomm technology to enable development in education, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, tourism, entertainment and finance.
The IDA functions as the Chief information Officer for the Singapore Government. In this capacity, it helps in the running of an effective and efficient government to serve the needs of citizens and businesses. As the Government CIO, the IDA is responsible not just for master-planning, but also for project-managing and implementing various infocomm systems and capabilities for the government. It oversees IT standards, policies, guidelines and procedures for the Government, and manages the infocomm security of critical infocomm infrastructures. This key role involves conceptualising, developing, implementing and managing Government-wide IT infrastructure and application systems.