Canberra won the latest round of the Most Fibred-Up Constituency Contest organised by IDA.

Series on Next Gen NBN adoption

Floor parties have given an added boost to the number of fibre installations at Canberra, which won the latest round of the latest Most Fibred-Up Constituency Contest with more than 70 per cent of its residents installing the fibre termination points in their homes.

Organised by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), the contest is aimed at encouraging homeowners to take up the free installation of optical fibre for the Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN), which promises ultra-fast Internet connectivity to home and offices across Singapore. The Next Gen NBN paves the way for exciting new online services and an enhanced user experience, even for bandwidth intensive applications such as video streaming and online gaming.

IDA began meeting grassroots leaders from the five Community Development Councils in 2010, to give them a better understanding of the Next Gen NBN, its deployment and how they could help their communities get onto the digital super-highway. A series of five contests was launched, with prizes going to the top two constituencies with the highest percentage of fibre termination points installed in the homes.

Mr Ronald Wong, Chairman of Zone 5 RC, Canberra constituency, said monthly floor parties and other community events were used as platforms to explain to residents the benefits of the Next Gen NBN and how they can take advantage of the free installation.

“Our grassroots organisations are very active and have always been keen on sharing information on good things,” said Mr Wong. “We have brisk walking on Sunday, taekwondo, karaoke, soccer, tai chi and other interest groups, and we use these opportunities to pass the word on. You can say the prize is a group effort.”

Mr Wong is also looking ahead to getting residents to subscribe to Next Gen services. For example, the RC could distribute brochures and flyers during its events, or work with the Infocomm Experience Centre (iExperience) to expose residents to the possibilities and benefits of Next Gen services, he said.

Located at the Esplanade Xchange, iExperience comprises interactive and engaging exhibits designed to educate and excite visitors through a hands-on experience. Awards for the latest round of the Most Fibred-Up Constituency Contest were presented by IDA’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Ronnie Tay at iExperience on 23 June 2012. The runner up was Bukit Batok, which also garnered an installation rate of more than 70 per cent.

Past winners and runners up of the contest included Chua Chu Kang, Yew Tee, Bishan North, Pasir Ris West, Keat Hong and Pioneer.