The speed increase is the first step towards the development of many additional services, says Mr Khoong Hock Yun of IDA.

The official upgrade of Wireless@SG's bandwidth from 512 kbps to 1 Mbps from 1 September means a better Internet experience for all users, and is part of the government's goal to move towards nationwide seamless broadband connectivity.

“This speed enhancement will enable users to have better access to media-rich and interactive websites as well as make use of bandwidth-intensive services such as video streaming, video conferencing and multimedia applications,” said Mr Khoong Hock Yun, Assistant Chief Executive, Infrastructure and Services Development Group, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA). “The speed increase is the first step towards the development of many additional services.”

One such application, for example, is Location-based Services (LBS). The Wireless@SG operators - SingTel, Qala, and iCell - are collaborating on a Centralised Location-based Engine to integrate Access Point information into a common database. This will enable developers to create LBS that leverage this information for targeted advertising campaigns or food recommendations. Other potential services that are on track for January 2010 include cashless payments, facility monitoring, and digital signages. Wireless@SG operators have said that they will be monitoring usage to ensure that quality of service standards is met.

In addition to the speed increase, access to Wireless@SG hotspots will remain free until 31 March 2013, and possibly beyond. “With the adoption of new applications and services offered on the network by business enterprises, we are hopeful that the service will be self sustaining,” said Mr Khoong.

Another critical facet of Wireless@SG that the network operators are working on is Seamless and Secure Access (SSA), a key enhancement to be introduced in January 2010. SSA will allow users, particularly Wi-Fi capable mobile phone users, to automatically logon to the network and  access the Internet.

“After a one-time set-up process, Wireless@SG users can automatically detect and access the network, saving them the trouble of having to remember passwords,” said Mr Khoong. “It will be completely seamless to the end user.”

Looking at the bigger picture, Wireless@SG is expected to work hand in glove with the Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) which is being rolled out progressively over the next few years.

“Wireless@SG and Next Gen NBN will collectively allow users to stay connected anytime, anywhere, and on any device,” said Mr Khoong. “The Next Gen NBN lets users in fixed locations to plug into the Internet while Wireless@SG caters for those on the move.”

In the long run, and as a complement to Wireless@SG, operators may even tap onto the all new fibre based Next Gen NBN for affordable and higher speed Internet connectivity.