The infocomm technology (ICT) remained key contributor to Singapore’s economy, registering a strong year-on-year growth of 23 per cent to reach S$102 billion in ICT revenue in 2012. The sector also played a key role in employment, providing jobs for more than 144,000 infocomm professionals.

To build on this momentum and help Singapore tech make a mark on the world stage, Mr Steve Leonard, Executive Deputy Chairman of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), has issued a call to the infocomm community to “build tech, build tech talent, build tech companies”.

Building tech capabilities in data and analytics

One area that IDA is focused on, in its efforts to build tech, is data and analytics. In June 2013, IDA launched a new platform for enterprises to crowd-source and develop analytics solutions to address complex data-driven business challenges. The Data Innovation Challenge brought together user enterprises with data providers, data scientists, ICT companies who will collaborate with research institutes and institutions of higher learning to develop proof-of-concepts and test out the prototypes or working models to address the user enterprises’ business challenges.

In August, another data-related challenge – the “ Data in the City ” hackathon – was organised by IDA to address some core issues on urban planning and enhance life in the city. The competition was one of the activities under the larger Apps4SG Challenge that was launched in April to encourage citizens, businesses and the government to develop innovative and useful applications using available government data.

In another boost for Singapore’s data and analytics aspirations, Pivotal, the spinoff initiative from EMC and VMware, has set up a Big Data Analytics Centre of Innovation (COI) as part of a wider collaboration with IDA aimed at developing Singapore as a big data hub for the region. The centre will work with local infocomm companies to develop prototypes and products for user organisations.

Driving cloud innovation and adoption

Another area where Singapore is “building tech” is cloud computing. In July, IDA announced that it is partnering Amazon Web Services (AWS) to help independent software vendors develop a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model for their business, enabling them to extend their offerings beyond Singapore.

Singapore has also launched the Multi-Tier Cloud Security (MTCS) Singapore Standard to provide businesses with greater clarity on the levels of security offered by different cloud service providers (CSPs). The MTCS will also be a requirement for CSPs participating in future public cloud service bulk tenders from the Government.

Developing exportable enterprise mobility solutions

IDA has also launched an Enterprise Mobility Call-for-Proposal (CFP) aimed at catalysing the development of innovative and exportable enterprise mobility solutions in areas such as enabling a mobile workforce, field services automation, supply chain management and operations efficiency. The CFP is a multi-agency effort led by IDA in collaboration with SPRING Singapore.

Piloting solutions for a smart nation

In another exciting development, IDA is working with other public agencies to implement the Smart & Connected Jurong Lake District Pilots and Trials Call for Collaboration (JLD CFC) in Jurong Lake District. The JLD CFC seeks to provide a platform for the industry to demonstrate their solutions to urban challenges, and offers government agencies an opportunity to test out innovative solutions before deploying them nationwide.

Building a digital media hub

Singapore is also building tech in the area of consumer infocomm. In December, IDA held its annual Digital Marketplace Forum, which provides a platform for industry leaders to present latest trends and growth opportunities as well as facilitate industry collaboration opportunities.

In other digital media initiatives, Digital & Music Matters , a major event in Asia covering various digital entertainment verticals, was held in May and attracted some 1,400 delegates from about 400 companies across 30 countries. The event was supported by IDA’s Digital Marktetplace Programme, which aims to establish Singapore as the hub of choice in Asia for the emerging digital economy.

Also taking place in May was the Social Star Awards 2013 , billed as the Oscars of social media, which celebrated the most popular personalities and brands around the world, based on their engagement with the fans in major social networking platforms. Underpinning the Awards was Digitales’ starcount platform, which aggregates data from the top 11 global social networks to rank celebrities and brands based on their engagement with more than 1.5 billion fans around the world. The platform, which is powered by a proprietary algorithm, was developed in Singapore with the support of DMP.

Strengthening the gaming ecosystem in Singapore

Another major event that took place in Singapore in 2013 was Casual Connect Asia , part of a global series of conferences and exhibitions focused on the casual games industry. Under its Connected Games Programme, IDA worked with the organiser, the Casual Games Association, as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen the gaming ecosystem in Singapore, provide a platform for the various players to network, and solidify Singapore’s status as the regional game hub for Southeast Asia.

Making a mark at AICTA

Singapore showed progress in its efforts to build tech when eight companies made it to the finals of the ASEAN ICT Awards (AICTA), which were presented in November. Introduced in 2012 and led by Brunei Darussalam, AICTA is one of the key initiatives of the ASEAN ICT Masterplan 2015.  Movue Media went on to win gold for its revolutionary social TV technology, while Singapore Telecommunications topped the Digital Content category.

Seeding global tech companies with iSTART

One major focus in Singapore’s infocomm industry development efforts is to build tech companies that can make an impact on the global stage. As part of this thrust, IDA’s iSTART programme seeks to help Singapore-based ICT start-ups expand their business into various markets by helping them to understand the market dynamics in the various countries and establish connections with the aim of securing customers, partners and investors. Besides the United States, the countries covered in 2013 included Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia, in line with IDA’s increased focus on opportunities in Southeast Asia.

In other efforts to help Singapore tech go international, IDA’s San Francisco Office led a group of start-ups to South by South West (SXSW), one of the biggest digital media festivals and conferences in the United States. IDA also led a delegation of eight Singapore start-ups to MobileBeat 2013 , VentureBeat’s flagship conference focusing on the future of mobile services and technologies.

Continuing with the focus on mobility, IDA held its first event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to showcase mobile innovations by six Singapore technology companies. Organised together with Saudi telecom service provider Mawj Telecom, the 2013 Infocomm Seminar and Exhibition in November attracted some 100 decision makers and executives from the Saudi Government and private organisations.

IDA also invests in growth-stage infocomm start-ups through its wholly-owned subsidiary Infocomm Investments Pte Ltd (IIPL). Under its new Head, Dr Alex Lin, who came on board in December, IIPL will also be building up its capabilities to help promising Singapore start-ups take their products and solutions from concept to commercialisation. It is working towards offering a range of support to start-ups including market access, technical advice and other tech know-how.

Creating opportunities through government-level collaboration

Singapore is working closely with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to promote co-operation and knowledge exchange in various aspects of international and regional ICT, in both the public and private sectors. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to foster closer ICT collaboration was signed by IDA and the Telecommunications and Regulatory Authority of UAE at the ITU Telecom World 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand, in November.

In another international ICT collaboration, IDA is helping to open up more direct opportunities for Singapore’s infocomm industry to participate in smart city developments in China under a new “Smart City Twinning” initiative. It signed an MOU on Strategic Collaboration on Smart City Development together with International Enterprise Singapore and Suzhou Industrial Park Administrative Committee (SIPAC), at the 10th Sino-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation meeting.

In June, IDA International signed an agreement with the Authority for Info-Communications Technology Industry (AITI) of Brunei Darussalam on the Internship Student Programme for ICT-related Education (INSPIRE) . Under this programme, selected students undertaking Higher National Diploma in ICT-related courses will undergo supervised work attachments in Singapore infocomm companies for six months to sharpen their infocomm skills.

Collaborating with industry to build tech talent

In the area of building tech talent, IDA has moved to plug the skills gap in Singapore infocomm and equip Singaporeans with the knowledge and expertise to take on higher-value ICT roles.

It has partnered companies such as EMC and Microsoft to establish Centres of Attachments , which provide on-the-job training opportunities to local infocomm professionals to prime them for specialist roles such as Data Scientists, Cloud Architects and Enterprise Mobile Application Architects. Continual Education Training centres have also been established in collaboration with the Workforce Development Agency to develop and launch National Infocomm Competency Framework accredited courses.

IDA is also collaborating with industry on a Company-Led Training Programme for Fresh Professionals (CLT), which aims to fast-track professionals with less than three years of working experience to take on specialist-level jobs. Partners who are currently on board for CLT include IBM, DBS, Standard Chartered bank, IHIS, SAS and Dimension Data.

A sector that IDA is focusing on is Financial IT . Together with the Monetary Authority of Singapore, it has appointed Singapore Management University (SMU) as Financial Services IT Lead Provider. The Financial IT Academy @ SMU is expected to deliver 2,400 hybrid-trained professionals for the financial services industry by 2016.

Grooming the next generation of infocomm professionals

In the longer term, IDA is also focused on working with learning institutions of all kinds and at all levels to create an interest in ICT as a career and build up a strong pipeline of talent.

In 2013, it presented 30 National Infocomm Scholarships (NIS) for students studying ICT at university level. From 2014 onwards, NIS will be expanded to include a mid-term scholarship to attract students who are in their first, second, or third year of infocomm-related studies either in a local or an overseas university. This is aimed at widening the pipeline of talent for the infocomm industry.

Another 40 students were presented with the Integrated Infocomm Scholarship , which supports outstanding “O” level students in their infocomm studies from polytechnic through to the university level.

Other IDA initiatives aimed at generating interest in infocomm as a career and nurturing infocomm talent included the National Infocomm Competition , which saw more than 1,500 students participating in nine competitions, and the presentation of the JC Computing Awards to students with a passion for computing.