Fixed & Mobile (www.fixedandmobile.com), which provides integrated voice and data services to mobile operators, Internet service providers and international telecommunication carriers, received "very positive feedback" for its solution "Transfer To", said marketing manager Rahma Bel-Bachir. "Transfer To" is an international mobile top-up solution for credit transfers from as low as $1.

"We met several potential partners and customers from the Middle East, Europe and Africa," said Ms Bel-Bachir. "It was a truly global event, and we had several leads especially with mobile operators in these regions."

This was exactly what Fixed & Mobile, a first-time exhibitor at Mobile World Congress, had hoped to achieve at the event. "We joined the show to reach the global mobile market, as our business is mainly oriented towards the international market," Ms Bel-Bachir added.

Fixed & Mobile's "Transfer To" solution drew interest from potential partners and customers from the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

Like Fixed & Mobile, mobile solutions provider Mozat (www.morange.com) also went to Barcelona with the aim of exploring collaboration opportunities with telecom operators, mobile service providers and phone manufacturers. "Yes, we met lots of them," said Mozat's vice president of marketing, Ms Li Yan. "We even met potential investors unexpectedly."

Mozat showcased Morange, an integrated mobile platform which supports mobile social networking, push mail, remote PC, mobile instant messaging, mobile Voice over IP, international short message service (SMS), news, mobile blogs, podcasts, RSS and many more. According to Mozat, Morange aims to "converge and connect all the dots in the mobile users' lives".

Other members of the Singapore Pavilion included Bubble Motion (www.bubblemotion.com), a pioneer in voice SMS; Hotcard Technology (www.hotcardtech.com), which focuses on embedded camera input technologies; i-Sirius, a one-stop services company and supplier for consumer telecommunications; mBit (www.mbit.tv), a leader in IP Multimedia Subsystem and mobile Web 2.0 services for the distribution of content; Orange Gum (www.orangegum.com), a platform and infrastructure partner for telecommunications industry players; Telogic (www.telogic.com.sg), which specialises in telecom core network technologies; and Ufinity (www.ufinity.com), which provides innovative mobile and
security technologies.

IDA's efforts in putting together the Singapore Pavilion drew praise from
the participants.

"We are amazed by the effort put in by IDA in organising this event and the opportunities created for us to meet our potential customers and partners," said Ms Li of Mozat. "We really appreciate the help offered by all the IDA staff on-site."

The view was echoed by Ms Bel-Bachir. "During the event, IDA helped us to welcome our potential customers in the meeting areas, showing appropriate support, information and assistance under the Singapore Pavilion. It was really appreciated by our visitors and gave a highly professional impression,"
she said.

Undergraduate Mr Sim Mong Kuan scaled the infocomm ladder, nursing officer Ms Elizabeth Ong struck the winning Digital Concierge pose, and accounts clerk Ms Tiffany Lee was spot on in answering a mobile phone quiz. These were some of the visitors who had a whale of a time and walked away with prizes at the recent "InfocommMyWay Roadshow".

Mr Sim (right) combines infocomm knowledge with quick reflexes to win this round of the infocomm quiz.

The roadshow, which was held at Suntec City from 21-24 February, was organised under the banner of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore's (IDA) Consumer Infocomm Education Programme. The event also saw the launch of the consumer portal (www.infocomm123.sg), which is aimed at providing Singaporeans with the infocomm resources they need for their digital journey.

The "InfocommMyWay Roadshow" gave visitors hands-on experience with both online and mobile applications such as government e-services, like MyeCitizen, MyHomeTown, NS Portal, EventsHub and SingPass.

The event also showcased the NEU PC Plus and Infocomm Accessibility Centre (IAC) programmes which aimed to give needy students and people with disabilities (the visually-impaired, hearing-impaired or the physically-challenged) equal access to infocomm.

Popular MediaCorp DJs Glenn Ong, Yasminne Cheng, Cruz Teng and Jia Hui broadcast "live" from the roadshow, and prizes such as infocomm security packs were given away for on-site contests and games.

Ms Ong, 47, out-posed and out-yodelled the competition to win in the Digital Concierge segment of the programme. An infrequent computer user, she was there to catch eBay's presentation on buying and selling over the Internet. "Right now all I use the computer for is to check email. I'm here to find out how I can upgrade myself," she said.

Mr Sim, 23, from Nanyang Technological University, was one of the winners of the "Scale the Infocomm Ladder" competition, in which contestants had to combine infocomm knowledge with quick reflexes in a multiple choice quiz.

The "Scale the Infocomm Ladder" competition is also available online at the consumer portal www.infocomm123.sg. Users have to answer as many infocomm-related quiz questions as they can within 60 seconds. The contest runs for four weeks from 21 February, and registered users can play as many times as they wish during this period. The top scorer stands to win a
MacBook Air.

Fun and games aside, the portal also serves as an infocomm resource site, featuring a wide range of infocomm-related information, news, best practices and tips such as securing the wireless network, guarding against scams and identity theft. It also provides newbies with a guide to social networking channels like blogs and online communities. For a more personalised experience, the web site uses Web 2.0 technology to allow registered users to adjust the settings according to their preferences.

The "iAsk, iAnswer" section allows the user community to post infocomm-related questions and to contribute answers. Another interesting feature is the "Big Fact Book" or BFB, a resource encyclopaedia with a wealth of infocomm-related articles and information. The BFB's "Wiki-like" format allows registered users to contribute their know-how and make moderated edits to the articles.

Every 500th user who registers at the portal stands to win a S$50 Takashimaya voucher. There are six vouchers to be won in all.

The InfocommMyWay Roadshow was organised by IDA, and jointly
supported by the Singapore Computer Society and Singapore infocomm Technology Federation.

Visitors to Singapore Changi Airport now have access to Wireless@SG at all terminals, with StarHub (www.starhub.com) partnering Qmax Communications (www.qmax.com.sg) to extend the service from Terminals 1 and 2, into Terminal 3 and the Budget Terminal.

"Wireless broadband services are extremely popular with both Singaporeans and international travellers at Changi Airport," said Mr Foo Sek Min, Director of Airport Management, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. "We hope that the provision of Wireless@SG services will enable more passengers to tap on the wireless broadband service throughout the main terminals and enhance the ‘Changi Experience' for all travellers."

Users can now get free wireless broadband access in all Changi airport terminals, including Terminal 3 and the Budget Terminal, through Wireless@SG.

Wireless@SG is a wireless broadband programme developed by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) as part of Singapore's Next Generation National Infocomm Infrastructure initiative that gives users free wireless broadband access at most public areas at speeds of up to 512Kbps.

The programme met its target of 5,000 hotspots as early as September 2007, and the latest development at Changi Airport extends the footprint of Wireless@SG even further.

The service has been available at Terminals 1 and 2 since 1 November 2007 and at Terminal 3 and the Budget Terminal from 1 January 2008. Wireless@SG users can get free access to the wireless broadband network in the airport by simply using their existing Wireless@SG User ID and password.