First Infocomm Technology Roadmap - Charting the Future of Technology for Singapore

The first Infocomm Technology Roadmap, Singapore's technology blueprint for the next 5 years, has identified broadband and mobile wireless as the key technologies which will prevail in the local infocomm industry. The Roadmap was unveiled at a forum this morning, where industry experts...

Singapore, 24 July 2000 | For Immediate Release

The first Infocomm Technology Roadmap, Singapore's technology blueprint for the next 5 years, has identified broadband and mobile wireless as the key technologies which will prevail in the local infocomm industry. The Roadmap was unveiled at a forum this morning, where industry experts shared their vision on technology trends.

The Technology Roadmap aims to chart the direction of technology trends in Singapore for the period, 2000 - 2005. Led by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), the development of the Technology Roadmap is a collaborative effort involving vendors, service providers, system integrators and research institutes in Singapore. Please see Annex A below for the list of contributing organisations.

In keeping with the pace of change in technology, the Roadmap is developed as a living document which will be updated twice a year. IDA believes that the Roadmap will help Singapore's infocomm industry players map out their business strategies and keep abreast of worldwide infocomm developments.

The conceptualisation of the Technology Roadmap reflects the importance of technology in achieving the Infocomm 21 vision of making Singapore the leading infocomm hub in Asia. This technology blueprint is one of the engines that will drive the Infocomm 21 initiatives, to ensure the sustained growth in Singapore's infocomm sector. The early adoption and exploitation of emerging infocomm technologies for business opportunities is essential to give Singapore the first-mover advantage and competitive edge.

Some of the highlights in the Roadmap include:

Pervasive Broadband Access

Broadband access in Singapore will become pervasive by the year 2005. Whether at home, at work, in school, or on the move, Singaporeans will benefit from faster access speeds to the Internet. Fixed-site users can experience speeds of around 5Mbps in the long term. Telecommuting will become more widespread, especially for knowledge workers who need to securely connect to information sources on the move. Driving this broadband wave will be technologies like Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), cable modem, fixed wireless and optical networking.

The Future in Fibre

Fibre seems set to become increasingly important in supporting Singapore's future bandwidth requirement. However, the major factor working against this trend is the high cost and precision handling associated with fibre installation. There are also concerns over costly fibre terminating equipment. Despite these concerns, the world is already witnessing several major initiatives in Sweden, Canada and Japan, where there is a move towards fibre access network implementation on a national scale. The advent of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM), the decreasing cost of fibre, and the potential improvements in optical switching technologies, all point favourably towards fibre access networks in the future. In light of these developments, Singapore should work progressively towards installing fibre access networks in new buildings and homes. In IDA's view, this is a future-proof strategic investment that Singapore should adopt in the long term. This is because fibre is scalable in terms of bandwidth offering, which can help to meet increased demand in future.

Third-Generation Mobile Services (3G)

Third-Generation mobile wireless will enable high-quality broadband services while on the move. This will complement fixed-site broadband access. Some features of 2.5G and 3G packet-based networks are: increased data transmission; improved spectral efficiency, which allows more subscribers on the same bandwidth; and always-on connectivity such that services can be charged based on actual volume of data transacted. It is likely that 2G, 2.5G and 3G networks would co-exist in Singapore, until at least 2005. This is to cater to the different demand sectors, support legacy infrastructure and existing customers, as well as to recover the infrastructure cost spent on legacy networks.

The Infocomm Technology Roadmap (July 2000 version) can be found in the "Technology Development" section of the IDA website at www.imda.gov.sg

ISSUED BY CORPORATE COMMUNICATION DIVISION
INFOCOMM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE

About Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is a dynamic organisation with an integrated perspective to developing, promoting and regulating info-communications in Singapore. In the fast-changing and converging spheres of telecommunications, information and media technologies, IDA will be the catalyst for change and growth in Singapore's evolution into a vibrant global info-communications technology centre. For more information, visit www.imda.gov.sg.

For media clarifications, please contact:

Ms Jennifer TOH
Assistant Manager, Corporate Communication
Tel: 6211-0508
Fax: 6211-2227
Email: jennifer_toh@imda.gov.sg


Annex A: List of Contributing Organisations for the Infocomm Technology Roadmap (July 2000 Version)

1. 1-Net Pte Ltd
2. Alcatel Singapore Pte Ltd
3. Centre for Wireless Communications
4. CISCO Systems (USA) Pte Ltd
5. Digicom Pte Ltd
6. Digital Applied Research and Technology Pte Ltd
7. Ericsson Telecommunications Pte Ltd
8. Gartner Group Advisory (S) Pte Ltd
9. Gemplus Technologies Asia Pte Ltd
10. IBM Singapore Pte Ltd
11. Lernout and Hauspie Asia Pte Ltd
12. Lucent Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd
13. MediaCorp Interactive Pte Ltd
14. MobileOne (Asia) Pte Ltd
15. Motorola Electronics Pte Ltd
16. Nokia Pte Ltd
17. NTL Incorporated
18. Nortel Networks Singapore Pte Ltd
19. Nanyang Technological University, School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
20. Singapore Broadcasting Authority
21. Singapore Cable Vision Ltd
22. Singapore Telecommunications Ltd
23. StarHub Pte Ltd
24. ST Electronics Pte Ltd
25. Sun Microsystems Pte Ltd