Users of Singapore Government Directory Interactive (SGDI at www.sgdi.gov.sg) can now obtain information from the web site via SMS, thanks to a new service launched by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA).

The new SGDI mobile service serves to meet the needs of people who are always on the move and need information quickly. With its launch, anybody with a mobile phone can conveniently obtain contact information of government agencies.

The initiative is part of the iGov2010 masterplan to increase the reach and richness of Government e-services by providing citizens and business users with an alternative mode of access to Government services and information.

Retrieving SGDI information via SMS.

To obtain SGDI information via SMS, the user simply remembers the 5-digit short code 74688 (or SGOVT) and follows the steps below to obtain information such as a public officer’s organisation, department, designation, and telephone number as listed on SGDI.

• Key <SGDI>space<Officer’s name>
• Send to 74688
• In response, SMS messages list all the persons of that name along with their organisations, departments, designations and telephone numbers.

Introduced in July 2006 by the Ministry of Finance and IDA, the 5-digit short code 74688 is a common number created for government mobile services. This number has been used for alerts and notifications such as SMS push notifications for renewals of passport, road tax and URA season parking. There is no charge for the use of the 74688 service. Normal SMS charges are levied by the telco where applicable.

For more details of the new SGDI SMS service, please visit http://app.sgdi.gov.sg/sms_help.asp.