The focus on consumer protection and the creation of a vibrant and competitive telecommunications sector continues to guide telecommunication policy formulation and regulation in Singapore.

Looking after consumer interests
In March, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) announced new measures to protect consumers from hefty unwanted charges caused by Premium Rate Services (PRS) and data roaming. For example, operators are required to provide consumers with the option of a PRS barring service (to be made available from the first quarter of 2012), and to allow consumers to limit their data roaming usage in a monthly billing cycle.

Still on the subject of roaming, successful discussions between IDA and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in 2011 led to a significant reduction in roaming rates between Singapore and Malaysia. Starting from 1 May 2011, the rates have been reduced by up to 20 per cent for voice calls and up to 30 per cent for SMSes, and final reductions of up to 30 per cent for voice calls and up to 50 per cent for SMSes are to kick in from 1 May 2012.

Ensuring service quality
To ensure that consumers are able to make better-informed choices when they sign up for broadband plans, IDA has introduced a requirement for Internet Access Service Providers (ISPs) to provide a more accurate indication of the typical download speeds consumers can expect when they subscribe to a particular broadband plan, instead of providing them with just the theoretical maximum download speed. IDA expects ISPs to start publishing the typical download speeds by early 2012.

IDA has also taken steps to ensure the availability of 3G services in tunnels and underground stations of the North-South and East-West MRT lines, which were built before the advent of 3G. All three mobile operators – M1, SingTel and StarHub - met its end-July 2011 deadline for the installation of 3G network equipment along these routes.

Engaging the public
The Singapore government is also stepping up efforts to engage the ground in policy formulation and regulation. In September, the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) issued a public consultation on a consumer data protection regime aimed at creating a balance between the need to protect individuals’ personal data against an organisation’s need to obtain and process such data for legitimate and reasonable purposes.

Another consultation was launched in October, to seek the public’s views on whether a national Do-Not-Call (DNC) registry should be set up in Singapore. The consultation proposed that all organisations engaging in the sending of marketing messages in Singapore be required to check their lists against the DNC registry and ensure that they do not make marketing calls or send faxes or SMS/MMS messages to the numbers registered unless they have been given explicit consent by the individuals concerned.

Building a vibrant telecommunications sector
In tandem with measures to safeguard consumer interests, the Government has also made efforts to ensure that the Singapore telecommunications sector remains vibrant and competitive.

One step was the passing of a slew of amendments to the Telecommunications Act on 21 November 2011 recently. A key provision of the amended Act empowers the government to issue a Separation Order to a licensee to transfer its telecommunications assets or business to a separate entity. This will ensure that the vertically-integrated telecommunication licensees do not make use of their dominant position to restrict competitors’ access to key infrastructure and services.

In a move to encourage new entrants to the infocomm industry, IDA also announced on 24 November 2011 that it will significantly reduce licence fees for most Facilities-Based Operators and Services-Based Operators. The move will allow operators to save between 20 per cent and 75 per cent in annual licence fees, with effect from 2013.

"IDA regularly updates its frameworks and regulations to keep pace with the changing landscape to ensure that they remain relevant to the industry. This new fee structure seeks to provide a more balanced approach and encourages facilities- and services-based competition in Singapore, especially with the deployment of the Next Gen Nationwide Broadband Network."

- Mr Leong Keng Thai, Deputy Chief Executive and Director-General
(Telecoms & Post) of IDA

Making space for new technologies
IDA is also mindful of the need for regulatory and policy frameworks to keep in step with the fast pace of technology evolution. A case in point is the emergence of LTE (Long Term Evolution) and WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), which are capable of achieving peak data rates in excess of 100 Mbps and offer better user experiences and quality of service over existing 3G systems.

To allow the introduction of such technologies, IDA issued an Interim Decision in January 2011 to allow operators certain existing spectrum rights to be used for LTE deployment, and to guide and assist the industry in their investment and network planning. Local operator SingTel has since launched a LTE plan for USB dongle modems, while StarHub and M1 have indicated plans to launch LTE services in the latter half of 2012.

Creating new opportunities on the Net
On the Internet front, one of the biggest-ever changes to the Internet's Domain Name System was approved at the 41st Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) public meeting, which was held in Singapore from 19-24 June 2011. The new domain naming system will dramatically increase the number of Internet domain name endings - called generic top-level domains (gTLDs) - from the current 22, which includes such familiar domains as .com, .org and .net.

In a separate development, the Singapore Network Information Centre, the national registry for domain names, began accepting registrations for multilingual domain names from 4 July 2011. The Internationalised Domain Names allow addresses to be displayed in non-Latin alphabet such as Chinese and Tamil.

"We hope to give users greater choices and add to the range of domain names available here. We believe this is timely given the growing interest, especially among businesses both here and overseas, to reach the emerging Indian and Chinese overseas markets, which may feel more comfortable using their own language characters."

- Mr Lim Choon Sai, General Manager, Singapore Network Information Centre

Collaboration and sharing of expertise
Singapore has continued to exchange experiences and expertise on telecommunication policies and regulations with neighbours in the region, and to work with them to address any potential cross-border telecommunication issues.

In September 2011, IDA and the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry (AITI) of Brunei Darussalam renewed their collaboration and technical cooperation on telecommunication regulatory areas, extending a working alliance that was first formed in October 2007.

In September, the Frequency Assignment Committee, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam (FACSMAB) launched its web portal to provide information on its history, its member countries, as well as its current and previous topics of discussions. The FACSMAB is represented by the telecommunication regulatory authorities of the three countries – IDA, MCMC and AITI. First established in 1948, the committee facilitates frequency coordination and frequency planning to ensure the harmonisation of radio frequency usage along common border areas.