Artist's impression of Mediapolis@one-north. (Source: JTC)

To reinforce Singapore’s position as a key media player in Asia, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) inviting industry members to co-develop an ecosystem of Media Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services to power the nation’s first digital media hub, Mediapolis@one-north.

The 19-hectare Mediapolis will significantly bolster Singapore’s media landscape when it is completed in 2020. Designed as an environment where creative talents will live, work and play synergistically, this digital media hub will contribute to Singapore’s economic growth, generate high-value jobs and produce exciting content, said Mr Lui Tuck Yew, Minister For Information, Communications and the Arts.

Since ICT is a critical enabler for the creation, management, protection and distribution of digital content, the Media ICT services at Mediapolis will provide an added value proposition to local and international content companies looking to establish a presence in the region, said Mr Lui, who announced the RFI during the opening of Asia Television Forum (ATF) 2010.

The Mediapolis’ Media ICT initiatives are aligned with IDA’s Intelligent Nation 2015 Digital Marketplace Programme (DMP) objectives, which seek to establish Singapore as a trusted media management and distribution hub for Asia with a vibrant ecosystem of world-class companies offering innovative and competitive digital services to the fast-growing regional digital consumers.

In recent years, the vibrant media and entertainment sector in Singapore has seen digital media ICT revenue growing from S$2.53 billion in 2008 to S$2.88 billion in 2009. To harness Singapore’s position as a leading global media distribution hub in Asia, the IDA launched the DMP in 2008. The DMP aims to develop a vibrant ecosystem in Singapore, comprising world-class companies that offer innovative and competitive digital services to the fast-growing demand by digital consumers in the region.

IDA has developed an ICT blueprint for Mediapolis to guide industry in the development of a holistic environment for ICT design, implementation and service delivery. Based on this blueprint, IDA has called a RFI where industry players are invited to submit proposals to co-develop the media ICT services at Mediapolis. Details were elaborated at the Digital Marketplace Forum, which was organised by IDA and held in conjunction with ATF 2010.  Mr Andrew Khaw, Senior Director of Industry Development Group, IDA, said ICT is a major differentiator in positioning Mediapolis and ultimately Singapore in the global media industry. IDA’s Media ICT blueprint for Mediapolis comprises three layers. They are:

1) To identify core Media ICT enablement services
This involves identifying the core services that would make up the Mediapolis ecosystem and the ICT needs as a result of these services. This will help ensure the delivery of end-to-end Media ICT solutions from digital media content creation to distribution.

2) To design the foundation layer of world-class communication networks and infrastructure
The Media ICT enablement services will drive the need for a world-class infrastructure architecture. The goal is to offer an easy-to-use, plug-and-play, fast and secure infrastructure.

3) To develop differentiated Media ICT value-added services
Based on the Media ICT enablement services and world-class infrastructure defined, key value-added services would be identified to complement the Mediapolis ecosystem as well as provide a differentiation for Mediapolis and Singapore. These value-added services will add a unique services layer to manage and monetise content.

Examples of Media ICT services for Mediapolis include high-speed media-centric campus-wide network and Media ICT enabling services such as high-density media storage, 3D workflow production management and services for media business analytics.