Mr Lui: The availability of a pool of high-quality infocomm manpower was central to innovation and capability building for Singapore’s infocomm industry. |
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has unveiled a slew of initiatives aimed at building up Singapore’s infrastructure and manpower capabilities and helping its infocomm companies to gain an international foothold.
Speaking at the official opening of imbX 2009 in June, RADM(NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, said the initiatives are part of a continued effort to harness the power of infocomm for economic and social development under Singapore’s Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015) masterplan.
In the area of manpower development, Mr Lui noted that the availability of a pool of high-quality infocomm manpower was central to innovation and capability building for Singapore’s infocomm industry. To address this, IDA has launched the Infocomm Training and Attachment Programme (iTAP) which offers infocomm job attachment opportunities at multinational corporations, local companies and start-ups.
Another initiative is the new Infocomm Leadership and Development Programme (iLEAD), where IDA will work jointly with the industry to prepare a ready pool of infocomm professionals for the new growth areas through local and overseas attachments, internships and specialised courses.
IDA’s Chief Executive Officer RADM(NS) Ronnie Tay: Sophisticated demand for infocomm services will only increase as Singapore develops further as a highly-connected society. |
Commenting on infrastructure developments, Mr Lui said Singapore’s Next Generation National Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) is expected to cover 60 per cent of homes and offices by 2010 and achieve nation-wide coverage by 2012. The free Wireless@SG service, which was launched in 2006 to complement connectivity in the home and office, will also be enhanced and will continue for another four years, till March 2013.
The development of next generation services such as e-payment is another key focus for IDA. Under the Next Generation e-Payments Programme, IDA is encouraging the deployment of contactless payment terminals in businesses all across Singapore.
“The Next Generation e-Payment Programme aims to provide consumers with greater convenience through cashless payment at more places beyond public transportation,” said IDA’s Chief Executive Officer RADM(NS) Ronnie Tay. “The Programme will leverage the huge base of stored value cards used for public transport today, so that consumers can also use such cards at food courts, provision shops and convenient stores, among others.”
Beyond mobile payments, mobile phone users will be able to experience richer and more personalised mobile services to be developed under the new Digital Concierge programme. The three-year programme aims to encourage the development of informational, transactional and location-based e-commerce services on the mobile channel.
IDA and the industry are also working together to establish Next Generation Innovation Centres (NGICs), which will allow major corporations to use Singapore as a test bed for new products, services and business models.
In the area of industry development, IDA has set up a subsidiary – IDA International - to help Singapore infocomm companies gain access to new markets overseas. As part of this initiative, a new Global Business Development Centre of Excellence has been set up to accelerate market access and expand the business opportunities overseas with the formulation of concerted go-to-market strategies.
Addressing yet another facet of infocomm progress, IDA has also announced enhancements to its NEU PC Plus programme, where school-going children have their own computers that come bundled with free broadband service. These include raising the qualifying income cap from S$2,000 to S$2,500, and reducing recipients' co-payment through a two-tier subsidy approach. “Sophisticated demand for infocomm services will only increase as Singapore develops further as a highly-connected society,” said RADM(NS) Tay. Programmes such as NEU PC Plus will help ensure equal opportunity for access to the infocomm technology, he added.