The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), today announced the 'Games Bazaar' to help games companies enter the Asian market with greater ease. The Games Bazaar is a regional hosting platform that allows ...
San Jose, California, US, 24 March 2004 | For Immediate Release
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), today announced the 'Games Bazaar' to help games companies enter the Asian market with greater ease. The Games Bazaar is a regional hosting platform that allows games companies, publishers and distributors to deploy their game titles without facing time-consuming and high initial capital costs.
As a start, the Games Bazaar partners with major telecommunications and hosting provider, SingTel, and leading technology player, Hewlett Packard Singapore, to help reduce the costs of regional games deployment by offering a 'pay-as-you-use' game hosting platform. The Games Bazaar allows games companies to pay for hosting services and bandwidth based on what they use, thus allowing them to launch games in Asia Pacific with minimal upfront investment and faster delivery to market.
As an additional boost for the games industry, over the next two years, the Singapore government, together with SingTel and HP, will help companies defray up to 80 per cent of the hosting costs during their first six months of signing-up with the Games Bazaar. To sign up, companies can contact dx@imda.gov.sg.
"We invite games players to test the regional online games market with Singapore's Games Bazaar. The Games Bazaar offers utility pricing and scalability so that games companies do not have to make risky capital investments in rolling out to Asia. At the same time, they can still use Games Bazaar to quickly scale-up as the market demands." said Thomas LIM, Director, Games and Entertainment, IDA Singapore.
"SingTel is pleased to play a leading role in providing the hosting and network infrastructure for the Games Bazaar. Companies will find SingTel's network a highly reliable and effective platform to launch their games and with minimal start-up costs. Their reach to the Asian audience is also greatly enhanced through SingTel's excellent connectivity in the region," said See Kiat YEO, Director for Sales Support, Managed Hosting Services, SingTel.
"HP has deep experience and insight in the technology used for digital media such as online games and animated movies. Through the initiative announced today, we will further extend to the gaming community a powerfully simple, compelling and affordable technology experience that is supported by a pay-per-use business model." said Choon Seng TAN, Vice President and Managing Director, HP Southeast Asia and Singapore.
The Games Bazaar is an initiative under the government's Digital Exchange for Games initiative. This strategy aims to extend Singapore's hub status into the digital realm by processing, managing and distributing digital games through Singapore into the rest of Asia. Games companies benefit from this initiative in the areas of localization and market access for regional online games.
Singapore at Games Developers' Conference
According to IDC (online gaming reports, May 2003), the Asian online games market could hit USD1 billion by 2005. As part of its efforts to grow the games industry, the Singapore government is organizing a group of its local companies to provide a one-stop shop for US games companies looking to launch in Asia. A delegation of Singapore games companies will appear at the Games Developers' Conference in San Jose, USA, 24 to 26 March 2004. These companies include the following:
(Please see Annex for company details)
- Mikoishi, a game development company specializing in multiplayer networked mobile games and content development
- Pacific Wireless Solutions, a mobile games technology enabler and aggregator that offers innovative gaming platforms
- Teckwah, an online games distributor, with capabilities in games retailing, as well as digital content and related services
- SingTel, a telecommunications provider with strong hosting and network infrastructure capabilities
Singapore as Ideal Location for Games
Singapore is an ideal location to host and manage regional online games and services. It is the most connected city in Asia with more than 10 Gbps of extensive and direct Internet connectivity to over 20 countries. This comprises 4 Gbps to the USA and over 140 Mbps to Asian cities such as Hong Kong, Japan, India, Korea, Taiwan and China. In addition, Singapore's direct Internet connectivity to major ASEAN countries is at least 70 Mbps.
Singapore's network infrastructure is also particularly well-suited for digital delivery of data centre space with its 21 Tbps of submarine cable capacity and international and regional telecoms connectivity to more than 100 countries. Today, Singapore is Asia's first neutral Peering Point for GPRS Roaming.
Recently, Singapore was ranked first in Asia for Intellectual Property Rights Protection by PERC 2004 and Global Corruption Report, 2003, making it an excellent location for companies to securely store and distribute digital gaming content. Singapore is also rated the Number One Business Environment in Asia Pacific, according to EIU, 2002.
ISSUED BY CORPORATE COMMUNICATION DIVISION
INFOCOMM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE
About Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) develops, promotes and regulates info-communications in Singapore, with the aim of establishing Singapore as one of the world's premier infocomm capitals. To nurture an internationally competitive infocomm industry, IDA offers a comprehensive range of programmes and schemes for both local and international companies. For more information, visit https://www.imda.gov.sg/.
PR Contact:
Hwei Ling HO (US contact)
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
DID: + 65 9671-8262 / +65 6211-1996
Email: ho_hwei_ling@imda.gov.sg
Yin Mei WONG (Singapore contact)
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
DID: +65 6211-1724
Email: wong_yin_mei@imda.gov.sg
About SingTel
SingTel is Asia's leading communications group with operations and investments around the world. Serving both the corporate and consumer markets, it is committed to bringing the best of global communications to customers in the Asia Pacific and beyond.
With significant operations in Singapore and Australia (through wholly-owned subsidiary SingTel Optus), the Group provides a comprehensive portfolio of services that include voice and data services over fixed, wireless and Internet platforms.
To serve the needs of multi-national corporations, SingTel has a network of 31 offices in 15 countries and territories throughout the Asia Pacific, in Europe and the USA. These offices enable SingTel to deliver reliable and quality network solutions to its customers, either on its own or jointly with local partners.
The Group also has major investments in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. Together with its regional partners, SingTel is Asia's largest multi-market mobile operator, serving more than 44 million customers in six markets.
SingTel has been recognised Best Asian Telecom Carrier by industry publication, Telecom Asia, for six consecutive years since 1998. The Group employs more than 19,000 people worldwide and had a turnover of S$10.26 billion (US$5.80 billion) for the year ended 31 March 2003. More information can be found @ www.singtel.com and www.optus.com.au.
PR Contact:
Boon Chong CHIA
SingTel
DID: +65 6838-2022
Email: boonchong@singtel.com
About HP
HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. For the last four fiscal quarters, HP revenue totaled $74.7 billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.
PR Contact:
Hock Mui HENG
Hewlett-Packard Singapore
DID: +65 6431-3854
Email: hockmui.heng@hp.com
Annex
About the Companies at the IDA Singapore Booth
Games Developers' Conference, 22 to 26 Mar 04
MIKOSHI
Mikoishi is an entertainment software company based in Singapore. It produces cross-platform entertainment content; primarily mass-multiplayer games and lifestyle/messaging products for mobile networks and handsets. It collaborates with brand, operator and online gaming partners to produce exclusive content formats that deliver a unique and highly compelling entertainment experience to end users. Its content formats enable partners to build lucrative communities and derive revenue through network game-play, game/in-game sponsorship and subscription billing models.
Mikoishi currently produces original titles in both English and Chinese; predominantly for North and South-east Asia, the fastest growing online and mobile entertainment markets in the world. 2003 saw Mikoishi enter into the China and South-east Asia markets, 2004 will see Mikoishi break into a further 5 countries across Asia, as well as the emerging North and South American markets. Mikoishi's pioneering entertainment formats will be made available by our partners to near 150 million mobile subscribers.
Contact: Ms Amy CHANG (Director)
Office: +65 6325-2820
Mobile: +65 9668-2901
Email: amy@mikoishi.com
PACIFIC WIRELESS SOLUTIONS
Corporate: www.pwsasia.com
Game Portal: www.bananaculture.com
Pacific Wireless Solutions (PWS) leads the way by giving its partners and clients a whole new mobile entertainment experience. By creating and marketing exceptional mobile solutions, PWS makes it possible for service and content providers to reap immediate commercial benefits. Its clients include network operators, handset manufacturers, gaming portals as well as direct mobile users. Central to its product offerings is a technological package called P@WS. P@WS is integral to its mobile solutions, and contains such features as, an innovative gaming platform, advanced player management features and efficient billing mechanisms that can operate without the mobile operator's involvement.
Contact Person: Mr Edwin LOW (Director, Sales & Marketing)
Office: +65 6224-0060
Mobile: +65 9757-1237
Email: edwin@pwsasia.com
SINGTEL
www.singtel.com
SingTel is Asia's leading communications company with operations and investments in more than 20 countries and territories around the world. It is committed to bringing the best of global communications to customers in the Asia Pacific and beyond.
The SingTel Group provides a comprehensive portfolio of services that include voice and data services over fixed, wireless and Internet platforms. In Singapore, SingTel has had more than 120 years of operating experience and has played an integral part in the development of the city as a major communications hub in the region.
SingTel EXPAN is a pan-Asian chain of data network centers, built upon SingTel's own network infrastructure that provides a world class, robust and secured hosting environment where customers can host their application and network systems.
EXPAN is available from Data Centres in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan.
Contact Person: Mr See Kiat YEO, Director, Sales & Marketing Support, Managed Hosting Services
Office: (65) 6838-8914
Mobile: (65) 9665-2102
Email: skyeo@singtel.com
TECKWAH ONLINE
www.edenii.com
Teckwah Online is a digital online distribution and entertainment company, which emphasizes on online distribution and retailing of games, digital content and related services in the Asia Pacific region. The Company provides the services mentioned above for purchase, rent, subscription, and various licensing model to Internet Games Room/Cyber caf?s ("IGR") and individual consumers via its edenii.com portal and its industry specific access distribution platform.
Teckwah Online Pte Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Teckwah Group, a Singapore Exchange mainboard listed company, and a value chain management service provider.
Contact Person: Wai Chong TAN, Vice President, Business Development
Office: +65 6872-6808
Mobile: +65 9297-8636
Email: ychong@teckwah.com.sg
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