Singapore to get connected with Next Generation Broadband

June 15, 2010 - PRLog -- The manner in which Singapore businesses and consumers interact and access information is undergoing a rapid transformation, owing to high speed broadband developments on a nationwide basis. Singapore's Next Generation National Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) will offer pervasive ultra-high speed connectivity to the Republic by 2015. Next Gen NBN is part of a master plan to transform Singapore into an intelligent nation and global city powered by Infocomm, by 2015. Undoubtedly, Singapore's business community stands to benefit from its technology drive. Some of the sectors that will benefit from the Next Gen NBN are digital media and entertainment; education and learning; financial services; government departments; healthcare and biomedical sciences; manufacturing and logistics; tourism and hospitality; and retail businesses. Businesses will soon be abale to leverage upon technology to achieve services innovation, thereby enhancing productivity. SMEs will also be able to focus on high value add activities that are targeted towards the creation, innovation and design aspects of a business. Increased business efficiency will also contribute to the ease of doing business in Singapore.

Today, an increasing number of services and functions are being offered and conducted online be it working from home; banking; making travel bookings; shopping; gaming; video-conferencing; stock trading; paying bills; transacting with government agencies; learning via online tutorials; etc. These services will receive a boost with the deployment of ultra-high speed broadband access. A classic example of how businesses have benefited from Singapore's technology drive is the Singapore company incorporation (http://www.guidemesingapore.com/company-setup/c312-singap...) process that is fully computerized and that can now be conducted online. By enabling foreign entrepreneurs to register a Singapore company with the click of a button, Singapore has fast tracked its company registration process to 24 hours. Next Gen NBN will not only help in increasing the reach and efficiency of such e-services but will also put in place services such as high-definition video conferencing, telemedicine, Grid Computing-on-Demand, security and immersive learning applications.

Singapore is at present the second most networked country in the world according to the global Networked Readiness Index (NRI), which forms a part of the part of the 2009-2010 Global Information Technology Report, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Singapore ranked #1 in areas such as government's prioritization of ICT, government's procurement of advanced technology products, and importance of ICT to the government's vision of the future. Testimony to this is the government's commitment towards building a nation wide broadband network. In this year's Budget Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that S$453million will be allocated towards Singapore’s Next Generation National Infocomm Infrastructure.

Countries such as Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong have made aggressive investments to enhance their infocomm infrastructures and capabilities. Singapore was quick to realize the advantages of adopting digital technology to enhance its economic competitiveness and decided to deploy an ultra high-speed National Broadband Network; and a pervasive wireless broadband network. Launced in 2006, Wireless@SG provides free Wi-Fi coverage at over 6,000 hot-spots in Singapore.

Singapore's new digital super-highway is sure to enhance its competitive advantage and result in greater productivity gains. According to the Chairman of Singapore's Infocomm Development Authority, Mr. Yong Ying-I "For Singapore to remain competitive in an increasingly globalised and digital economy, we need careful and timely investments in our key economic infrastructure, including our national infocomm infrastructure."

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