The Infocomm Technology Roadmap Unveiled

Dr Brian Chen, Chief Technology Officer, IDA Singapore - Presentation Outline Infocomm Technology Roadmap Forum, Suntec Singapore  

Dr Brian Chen, Chief Technology Officer, IDA Singapore - Presentation Outline
Infocomm Technology Roadmap Forum, Suntec Singapore
Singapore, 24 July 2000

1. Infocomm technology is changing and developing at an unprecedented pace today. It is therefore essential for Singapore to keep abreast with future directions and trends in the Infocomm sector to become a global Infocomm hub in Asia as envisioned in Infocomm 21. One of the thrusts of IDA's Chief Technology Office is to produce technology roadmaps for the local industry. The purpose is to guide the development of the infocomm industry through a shared technology roadmap. This roadmap will monitor and track the trends and developments in Infocomm technology, standards and industry and the application deployment for the next five years.

2. The roadmap aims to achieve the following:

• To provide a vision of e-lifestyle in the future for the general public
• To help industry keep abreast with future directions and trends
• To assist industry to identify business opportunities and competitive advantages
• To provide a shared vision of where we should be technologically in five years.
• To promote synergy in the Infocomm community

3. To have a useful and relevant technology roadmap, we would need a good grasp of both technology and market trends and development. The infocomm vendors and research communities are two key sources of this information. Therefore the roadmap is done in close consultation with the infocomm vendors and operators, as well as academia and research bodies.

4. The roadmap process is essentially a consultative process. It begins with an initial draft produced by the Technology Group of IDA. The initial draft is a result of extensive studies and tracking in the subject area covered in the roadmap. Participation by industry leading vendors, operators, service providers, academia and research communities is invited through a structured consultative process. This comprises focus sessions and endorsement meetings. The roadmap is updated with the latest development once every 6 months to remain accurate and relevant.

5. In view of the wide range of Infocomm technologies, this first roadmap will focus on two key areas: broadband access (for fixed-site users) and mobile wireless technologies. Future roadmaps will expand on these technologies and cover other technology areas. IDA plans to launch two roadmaps annually.

6. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the companies, research institutions, universities and other statutory boards for their effort in this roadmap. We look forward to collaborating with them and others in the Infocomm sector for future roadmaps.

7. Thank you.