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Come 2007, Singaporeans will be ushering the
new year with at least 24 months, or two years, of free (basic tier)
wireless connectivity at up to 512 kbps speeds almost everywhere -
thanks to IDA's 'Wireless@SG' programme. |
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Wireless@SG is Singapore's new wireless
broadband programme that will be developed and run in the next two years
by three local wireless operators. |
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This October, IDA accepted the proposals
from iCELL Network Pte Ltd, QMAX Communications and Singapore
Telecommunications Ltd to the government's two-year
Call-For-Collaboration (CFC) to kick-start the nation's progressive
deployment of a widely-available wireless broadband network by Sep 2007. |
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This network will complement and extend
broadband access currently available in the homes, offices and schools,
to public places. |
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Today, while Singaporeans on-the-go have
ready access to voice connectivity (e.g. through mobile phones),
connectivity for data-centric devices (e.g. PDAs and laptops) is readily
available only in Wi-Fi hotspots run by individual service providers. |
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The CFC changes this. With the two-year
Wireless@SG programme, the number of public 'hotspots' will grow 5-fold
from the current 900 to about 5,000. |
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The three operators will bump up the number
of Wireless@SG 'hotzones' in high-traffic, public areas, such as the
Central Business District, downtown shopping belts like Orchard Road,
and HDB Town Centres, to make wireless broadband a ubiquitous access
mode by September 2007. |
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With this, Singaporeans can truly
enjoy seamless broadband on-the-go - we need not be home or in the
office to now access all our favorite Internet-based services like
emails, instant messages, online games and VOIP calls. |
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The three operators are extending this
two-year free offering with unlimited usage to all residents and
visitors in Singapore, including tourists and business travellers.
The sign-up details will be made known from December 2006 by the
operators. |
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Meanwhile, Singaporeans and other
users in Singapore will be pleased to know that they do not have
to be existing subscribers of these operators to enjoy the free
service. |
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In fact, they can choose to sign up at
any time with any one of the three operators, and be able to
access all the three operators' networks with one account. |
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Premium Services |
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For those hungrier for bandwidth
beyond 512 kbps or connectivity options with higher quality of
service, the three operators will also offer premium services at a
fee. |
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These will come with differentiated
value-added operator-based services such as premium contents,
bundled video conferencing, VoIP and video streaming applications,
online gaming and location-based services. |
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More details of these will be made
available by the operators by the end of this year. |
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About the Call-For-Collaboration
(CFC) |
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IDA called the Wireless Broadband
Market Development (WBMD) CFC in March 2006, to invite interested
operators to deploy the Wireless@SG networks and services for two
years. |
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Through the CFC, IDA seeks to grow
Singapore's wireless broadband market and catalyse broadband
adoption. |
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Recognising that true nation-wide,
pervasive wireless connectivity can only be achieved progressively
as wireless technologies mature1, the CFC is just the
first phase towards this goal. |
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In the meantime, the CFC utilises
existing wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, to meet the needs of
the growing number of data-centric device users that require
wireless access to Internet. |
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The three operators will be investing
about $100 mil over the next two years to deploy Wireless@SG. IDA
is prepared to defray up to $30 mil of the deployment cost. |
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1.
Other wireless technologies, e.g. WiMax, potentially provide more
extensive coverage. However, WiMax is expected to be available for
widespread commercial rollout only from 2008. |
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There is also already a large number
of Wi-Fi enabled devices like notebooks, tablet PCs, PDAs and
increasingly mobile phones with built-in Wi-Fi capability today,
with Wi-Fi support built into many operating systems. In addition,
many offices and home users are already accessing office and home
applications over private Wi-Fi networks. |
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Source:
www.ida.gov.sg News 11 Oct
2006 |
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Related Article: |
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Three years of free Wi-Fi for Singapore from 1 Dec 2006 |
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FrontPage Edition: Fri 13 October 2006
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