In May 2010, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), together with UNESCO, announced the setting up of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development which will define strategies for accelerating broadband rollout worldwide. The new Commission comprises some 30 top names from around the world, representing leaders from across a wide range of business and social sectors. Among them is Mr Leong Keng Thai, Deputy Chief Executive and Director-General (Telecoms and Post), Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA). In an interview with iN.SG, Mr Leong talks about his experiences with telecom regulation and broadband developments in Singapore, and his role on the Commission.
Tell us a bit about your background, especially in the area of policy making and telecom regulation?
I started working in the telecommunications industry more than 25 years ago in the former Telecommunications Authority of Singapore (TAS). When IDA was formed in 1999 from the merger of TAS and the National Computer Board, I took on the role of Deputy Chief Executive and Director-General
(Telecoms and Post).
Mr Leong Keng Thai: Through good public policies, governments can partner the industry in building pervasive broadband infrastructure that will serve the population. |
In those years, I have taken on several roles in many diverse areas of telecoms, including network engineering, business development and management, and policy. These experiences have been valuable to me in making decisions, especially in the area of telecoms policy and regulation.
The most memorable milestone I have witnessed in our history would be the full liberalisation of the Singapore telecom market in 2000. From a limited market consisting of a few players in 2000, we have more than 40 facilities-based operators and over 1,000 service-based operators today offering consumers a plethora of choices.
Today, Singapore takes the lead in many areas of infocomm adoption and regulation. In 1997, Singapore was one of the first in the world to offer consumers mobile number portability, via a call forwarding solution. We were also amongst the first to offer broadband services nationwide, albeit only at around 2 Mbps at that time.
Currently, our Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network is a unique policy and regulatory case internationally because of the layered industry structure with requirements for structural and operational separation. On 7 July this year, Singapore became the first country in Asia, and second worldwide to ratify the United Nations Convention on the use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts. As you can see, this has been an exciting journey and I’m happy to have been part of many of these important milestones.
What do you see as your main role as a member of the Broadband Commission? In what way can a country like Singapore contribute to the Commission?
Singapore has had more than 10 years of experience in building and promoting broadband. Such high-speed access is now readily embraced by both businesses and individuals and is integral to our lives. I hope to be able to share some of our experience in how we have made policies and fostered competition in the broadband market, including some of the policy innovation in our next generation broadband development.
I would also emphasise the government’s role in bringing this about, which is to create enabling policies and regulations that will provide a conducive environment for business, innovation and competition to thrive. Through good public policies, governments can partner the industry in building pervasive broadband infrastructure that will serve the population. Each country’s specific development plans would be unique and Singapore’s experience may not be exactly replicable. However, I hope that by sharing experiences, it would become more evident that broadband infrastructure and services can contribute to the growth of a vibrant and competitive ICT market, which can drive both economic and social development.
Can you share with us your experiences in the broadband developments you have been involved in
(in Singapore)?
Since the 1990s, we already had the vision to wire the whole country so that every home and office could have a broadband connection. We started with Singapore One, a nationwide multimedia broadband infrastructure that was launched in June 1998, and by December 1998, it was available nationwide.
More recently in 2005, we started planning for the Next Generation National Infocomm Infrastructure (NGNII), Singapore’s new digital superhighway for super-connectivity. Today, our wireless broadband network, Wireless@SG already offers pervasive connectivity at 1 Mbps islandwide. But beyond connectivity for the community and commerce, and beyond mere speeds, we expect an infocomm infrastructure to inspire innovation and new capabilities. The Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) will be an all-fibre, nationwide infrastructure capable of speeds beyond 1 Gbps. We will achieve nationwide deployment of this ultra high-speed optical fibre network by 2012.
With the Next Gen NBN, we have instituted Effective Open Access, requiring structural and operational separation in the passive and active layers of the infrastructure respectively. Essentially, we want easy and unhindered access to the network for anyone with innovative services to deploy. It is thus important to have a level playing field that will spur innovation and competition here.
We are working hard to create a conducive environment for Next Gen services to develop and thrive. IDA is working closely with the industry to develop more Next Gen services through programmes such as the Next Gen Innovation Centres. With such efforts, we hope to promote innovation and enterprise in Singapore. In time, we can expect an even more competitive infocomm hub here that supports and makes Singapore an ideal place to do business.
What do you think are the main challenges that the Broadband Commission will face?
The Broadband Commission was set up to make recommendations to the United Nations (UN) on how broadband can be leveraged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) such as reducing extreme poverty and child mortality rates, fighting disease epidemics, and promoting environmental sustainability.
The Broadband Commission will have to convince the UN member countries of the importance of broadband development in helping to achieve the MDGs because broadband has a role in addressing many pressing issues like eradicating hunger and administering healthcare. Pervasive broadband access will bring benefits not only to the economy but also in societal development. Therefore, I am hopeful that more will soon see that a broadband infrastructure is a key enabler for any nation.