Singapore residents can now see for themselves how the Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) can transform the way they live, work, learn
and interact.

The Infocomm Experience Centre (iExperience), which was launched on 17 June 2010 at the Esplanade Xchange, shows visitors how high-definition cameras, touch-screen computers and media-rich applications riding on the high-speed Next Gen NBN, can deliver services such as personalised healthcare and learning to homes, high-definition video conferencing to the workplace and collaborative learning to schools.

The Next Gen NBN is on track to be deployed nationwide by 2012. It will deliver island-wide ultra-high speed broadband access of up to 1Gbps and beyond. Speaking at the opening of iExperience, Mr Lui Tuck Yew, Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, said the exhibits at iExperience seek to inform, to excite and to inspire visitors with the exciting possibilities that will be made available with Next Generation infocomm services.

The exhibits at iExperience are themed according to daily activities such as Live, Work, Learn and Interact. Among them is interactive Internet Protocol television (IPTV), showcased in the section on “Live”, which offers consumers innovative services such as personalised healthcare and immersive e-learning delivered through their television sets located in their homes. IPTV will also provide consumers with high-definition entertainment programmes at their fingertips as well as real-time information and access to common e-government services as and when they require it.

Opening ceremony for the Infocomm Experience Centre, or iExperience.

An example of a Next Gen NBN service in the area of “Work” is high-definition video conferencing, which will enable companies to engage in real-time face-to-face communication with their local and overseas clients and re-engineer their business processes to take advantage of the ultra-high speed connectivity.

Mr Hansjoerg Wagner, President of Polycom, Asia Pacific, said the high-quality, affordable broadband provided by Next Gen NBN is essential for the delivery of the best high-definition video experience. Besides corporate applications, such services will also make it easier for students on long-distance learning courses to consult their teachers, and will allow healthcare practitioners to “expand their reach massively” so that more expertise and facilities can be delivered to patients remotely.

The section “Learn” features a mock-up of a future classroom which demonstrates the use of interactive learning solutions such as the classroom management system and learning management system. Students can get a taste of the future classroom with HeuX, a learning application from HeuLab.

HeuX connects teachers and students in a safe environment, where quizzes can be “handed out” to students’ computers with the touch of a “send” button, and teachers get responses from everyone when they ask questions – not just from more vocal students. In addition, answers can be tabulated instantaneously, to show who got the right answer and who got it wrong, highlighting the more difficult questions, which teachers can then concentrate on.

“HeuX requires connectivity,” said HeuLab’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Lim Soon Jinn, of his classroom version of Facebook. “Because of this, Next Gen NBN will truly enable learning through HeuX anywhere, anytime, making it faster and more effective and reliable.”

In the section on “Interact” is the Smart Digital Signage, which allows consumers to virtually select and try on cosmetic products in the store. The Smart Digital Signage captures an image of the consumer and provides product information such as the price and where to purchase the product, all directly to the consumer’s mobile phone or e-mail upon their choices and selections.

The exhibits at iExperience will be updated regularly to showcase new and emerging applications and services that are being developed and introduced. “Visitors to the Infocomm Experience Centre, or iExperience, can try out the many exhibits there and discover the infinite possibilities brought about by innovation in infocomm. The range of engaging and interactive exhibits on display relates closely to our daily lives, in the way we live, work, learn and interact,” said RADM(NS) Ronnie Tay, Chief Executive Officer, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA). “Visitors will get a good sense of the exciting Next Generation services they can look forward to, now and in
the future.”