There is reason to believe that the ICT industry should do well in 2008 despite the weakening economy. In his opening address at the Singapore infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF) 2008 ICT Business Outlook Forum on 19 February, RADM(NS) Ronnie Tay, Chief Executive Officer of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), said he was optimistic that the sector would continue to perform here, propelled in part by momentum from the Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015) masterplan.

In his speech, RADM(NS) Tay outlined the many opportunities that lie ahead for the infocomm industry here.

In the third quarter of this year, IDA is expected to award the contract for building and operating the passive infrastructure layer of the Next Generation National Broadband Network, a project, which comes with S$750 million in grants. Also in the pipeline is a Request-For-Proposal (RFP) for the operating company that will deploy switches and routers that regulate traffic flow on this network. The winner will be announced early next year.

Besides the physical infrastructure, IDA also has an ongoing Expression of Interest exercise to encourage companies to come forward with innovative ideas for services and applications for the new broadband infrastructure.

RADM(NS) Tay: The industry can certainly look forward to continued Government investment in infocomm.

To address the infocomm needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), IDA has invited the infocomm industry to provide one-stop infocomm solutions and end-to-end infocomm packages to help them operate more efficiently and growth their business.

Another infocomm boost for SMEs - which currently number over 135,000 in Singapore – will come from the Call-For-Collaboration (CFC) to extend high performance computing, storage and software facilities to businesses. The CFC will bring together Grid service providers and independent software vendors to provide infocomm resources on a pay-per-use basis, giving SMEs access to high-end computing services and solutions while avoiding hefty hardware and software costs.

Looking beyond our shores, IDA's Inforcomm Enterprise Programme aims to boost the capabilities of infocomm local enterprises (iLEs) in implementing big projects, with an eye to going abroad. Other ongoing initiatives like the infocomm Local Industry Upgrading Programme (iLIUP) and the Overseas Development Programme (ODP) will continue to link up iLEs with multinational corporations, enabling innovative local players to tap on the expertise of the larger companies in capability building as well as in international marketing and distribution. There are currently 17 MNCs participating in the two programmes. RADM(NS) Tay noted that over the last three years, iLIUP has helped iLEs generate S$75.3 million in revenue while ODP has helped generate S$49 million in export revenue.

Another sign that such initiatives are paying off is the interest that MNCs are showing in our iLEs, noted RADM(NS) Tay. India's AurionPro Solutions recently acquired Integro Technologies, while pan-Asian music provider Soundbuzz has been acquired by Motorola. British Telecom has also proposed a takeover of leading IT services provider Frontline Technologies.

In the public sector, e-Government initiatives proceed apace. Last month, the Ministry of Education called for a pre-qualification tender exercise to shortlist potential service providers for the SOE (Standard ICT Operating Environment) for Schools project.

The Ministry of Education also plans to expand the FutureSchools@Singapore programme to enable up to 15 schools to harness the capability of infocomm to enhance learning by 2015.

"The industry can certainly look forward to continued investment in infocomm by the Government," said RADM(NS) Tay.

With IDC forecasting that ICT spending in the Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) will grow by 10 per cent from 2007, Singapore's infocomm industry can expect to have another busy year, he said. "Besides the Singapore market, the demand for infocomm products and services is also worldwide, and our infocomm companies certainly have much to offer."