The three-day Wireless@SG roadshow attracted more than 1,500 visitors.

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) held its first Wireless@SG roadshow at VivoCity from 27 to 29 August 2010, to promote new sign-ups for Wireless@SG accounts as well as conversions to Seamless and Secure Access (SSA).

Wireless@SG started offering the public free wireless access in the Central Business District, downtown shopping belts and residential town centres in December 2006. The service, which has notched up 1.6 million subscribers to date, will remain free until March 2013.

“We have observed that on the average, Wireless@SG users clocked up a monthly usage of 10.1 hours per user in April 2010, an encouraging increase since the 2.1 hours usage that we have observed in 2006,” said Ms June Koh, Deputy Director for Next Generation Wireless and Platforms, IDA.

The next phase of Wireless@SG aims to build on this excellent start by enhancing the user experience through value-added services such as SSA, and driving the adoption of consumer and enterprise services.

Ms Melissa Liew (right) signed up for Wireless@SG at the roadshow.

Launched in February this year, SSA lets users connect automatically at any Wireless@SG hotspot, in the same way mobile phones automatically connect to mobile networks when the device is switched on. SSA is especially useful for users who use their mobile devices like Wi-Fi capable mobile handsets, allowing quicker and easier access to applications like email, voice over IP, instant messaging and social networking.

For the Wireless@SG roadshow, which was three months in the planning, users were invited to bring their mobile devices or laptops down to get their devices configured for SSA. Those who were not yet Wireless@SG subscribers could sign up on the spot for the service.

Wireless@SG operators helped spread awareness of the services, with SingTel and iCELL Network sending their users electronic mailers, while M1 announced it on their log-in page. The response was encouraging. The three-day event attracted more than 1,500 visitors. 

Mr Tony Chiang: With SSA, the network scans for me automatically and there's no need to remember a password.

Mr Ken Chua, Chief Executive Officer of iCELL said, “Wireless@SG usage has steadily increased for iCELL and now we are achieving about 300 to 400 new subscribers per day. We are very glad that IDA arranged this roadshow as we have noticed very good response from the subscribers where subscription has increased to almost 900 per day. We have also seen a significant increase in users logging in using SSA.”

Many of the visitors were passersby, grabbing the opportunity to sign up or to get their devices configured for SSA. The process took just minutes, and while they waited, they could enjoy free ice-cream and receive a free notebook and pen.

For sales manager Ms Melissa Liew, 33, who works near VivoCity and intended to sign up for Wireless@SG but had been too busy, the roadshow was a good opportunity. “I just signed up for the Wireless@SG, and it was very fast – in fact, I’m already done.”

Product designer Mr Tony Chiang's, 41, was another passerby who handed his iPhone over to be configured for SSA. “I’ve been a subscriber since Wireless@SG first came out. I’m not a tech person, so sometimes I have to search for a connection, and that’s quite confusing. With SSA, it will be much easier because it scans for me automatically. There’s also no need to remember a password, so that’s good.”

Mr Alden Tan (right): The biggest benefit of Wireless@SG for me is that it's free.

Mr Alden Tan, 43 agreed. The hypnotherapist seized the chance to get his new iPad configured for the application. “If I can log-in automatically, I can save time,” he noted. “Not that it’s so much time, but anything that’s faster is better.”

Mr Tan has been a Wireless@SG subscriber “since day one”. “Nowadays you have so many gadgets, and if you have just as many service plans, your costs escalate. The biggest benefit of Wireless@SG for me is that it’s free.”

Other improvements in the Wireless@SG service include increased access speed to 1 Mbps, easier network login and access to even more applications and services.

Those who missed out on the roadshow need not despair, as other chances will come. “This roadshow is not the end of our consumer outreach programme,” promised Ms Koh. “We will tap on IDA’s various initiatives to continuously bring Wireless@SG programme initiatives and updates.”