Special Reports
Positioning Singapore for the next wave
As Singapore continues to make good progress under its Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015) masterplan, the country is also positioning itself for the next wave of opportunities arising from the convergence of the infocomm and media sectors.
Under iN2015, the infocomm industry has grown to become a key contributor to Singapore’s economy. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Infocomm Media Business Exchange (imbX) on 18 June, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information, noted that the industry registered strong and healthy year-on-year growth of 23 per cent to reach S$102 billion in ICT revenue in 2012. The infocomm sector has also been a strong contributor to national employment, providing jobs for more than 144,000 infocomm professionals.
Today, 95 per cent of homes and businesses in the country are wired up to the Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network, with more than 330,000 subscribers served by 20 retail service providers to date.
Wireless connectivity is also being enhanced with the introduction of inter-operator roaming on the Wireless@SG network by end June, enabling users to access the network island-wide. Other enhancements to Wireless@SG include an increase in access speeds to up to 2 Mbps, and the implementation of SIM-based authentication from 1 April next year to simplify the wireless login process.
The developments in infrastructure have enabled Singapore to increase business competitiveness and enhance the quality of life for its people. In healthcare, for example, some doctors will soon be able to monitor patients’ health conditions without requiring the patients to travel to clinics for routine checks. Under the Telehealth Call-for-Collaboration by the Ministry of Health and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), a grant has been awarded to myHealth Sentinel Pte Ltd to provide remote monitoring of chronic disease patients using wireless devices. “Such efforts pave the way for timely intervention and treatment, improving the way healthcare services are delivered in Singapore,” said Dr Yaacob.
Data analytics capabilities have also been made available to businesses via a shared services model to reduce adoption costs and shorten the overall implementation time. Such capabilities will enable businesses in industries such as retail and wholesale to make data-driven decisions that will help enhance productivity and improve the business bottom line.
While these developments illustrate how far Singapore infocomm has developed over the years, Dr Yaacob spoke of the need to continue leveraging on technological evolutions to create new strengths and equip the country for the next phase of infocomm development. “To do that, we will need to seize the opportunities arising from the growing convergence of the infocomm and media sectors,” he said.
The convergence will create greater convenience and benefits for society and new opportunities for business growth. To take advantage of this potential, Singapore must look at the development of media and infocomm in a holistic and integrated manner, he said.
In line with this, Dr Yaacob announced the formation of an Infocomm Media Masterplan Steering Committee to lead the development of a combined masterplan which will chart the vision for Singapore’s infocomm and media sectors until 2025. The 14-member committee, chaired by Mr Koh Boon Hwee, Chairman of Credence Partners, will be led by the private sector and supported by the Ministry of Communications and Information along with IDA, the Media Development Authority and the Economic Development Board. It is expected to release its recommendations in mid-2015.
imbX is Asia’s largest infocomm and media event. It incorporates CommunicAsia, BroadcastAsia, EnterpriseIT, eGov Global Exchange and inter-government meetings such as the imbX Ministerial Forum on ICT. This year’s event took place from 17 to 21 June at the Marina Bay Sands. It attracted more than 51,800 attendees, with more than half coming from overseas.
“What if”: Exploring the possibilities for Singapore
“What if” it were possible to have sensors in every corner of Singapore, gathering millions of pieces of data that could be analysed and put to use for the good of healthcare, education, public safety and energy management?
Addressing the audience at imbX, Mr Steve Leonard, Deputy Chairman of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), set about stimulating discussion on what might be possible for Singapore, looking at the opportunities that are available.
Mr Leonard gave the analogy of a Formula One car, wired with over 200 sensors aimed at gathering data to squeeze the extra hundredths of a second out of its performance. “It was information gathered for a purpose; to improve the performance of something.”
In similar vein, sensors in wearable fabrics can be used in healthcare to help doctors care proactively for patients through remote monitoring and allow massive amounts of data to be gathered for research. Sensors in education can provide information on what students are looking at during a learning trail so that teachers can guide their learning. Sensors in canals can detect rising water levels and give early warning for public safety, while sensors used in monitoring the energy consumption of appliances can pave the way for informed decisions on their usage. The bottom line, said Mr Leonard, is that “if I know something, I can take action”.
Extrapolating this to a national level, Mr Leonard spoke about the possibility of a sensor fabric connecting everything to everything, gathering data to facilitate better decision making at all levels.
He acknowledged that there are issues surrounding regulatory policy, privacy, cost, manageability and others that have to be addressed. However, he pointed out that Singapore has already taken legislative steps to address some of these issues, for example, with the passing of the Personal Data Protection Act. It also has the infrastructure in place in the form of its Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network, and a big pool of technology talent to tap on.
“Singapore has a unique opportunity to be the first smart nation anywhere in the world,” he said. “What we like to do as IDA is to work with industry, universities and different parts of government … to think through the challenges and look at how we can leap into these opportunities in a meaningful way.”