Singapore launches pilot information network
By I. Christianto
SINGAPORE (JP): Singapore launched yesterday a trial operation of Singapore One, the Information Technology network which will turn the country into the hub of high-technology in the region.
The network and services would transform Singapore into a place where information technology (IT) enhanced the country's quality of living, at work, home and at play, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said.
"More than 400 homes will participate in the Singapore One pilot project. This will increase to over 5,000 homes before the end of the year. By the end of 1998, all 800,000 households in Singapore will be able to connect to Singapore One," said Goh.
Goh launched the pilot network and services for Singapore One at the opening of Asia Telecom 97.
The service, which was initiated a year ago, will give all Singapore residents high-speed application access either through cables, asymmetric digital subscriber lines or asynchronous transfer mode technologies connected to digital backbone infrastructure factors.
Singapore One is the world's first nationwide broadband network that will deliver a new level of interactive, multimedia applications and services to everyone in Singapore. "One network for everyone," the slogan sounds.
The project, divided into two phases, is expected to be complete by 2004.
"Singapore is a young society. Our survival and prosperity depends on our ability to adapt to the 21st century and to be of service to it. Singaporeans have to embrace the new technology of the information age actively and not just welcome it passively," Goh said.
He said Singapore had achieved one of the highest IT literacy rates in the world, but "we do not think it is good enough for the challenges of tomorrow."
"So we allocate $2 billion to ensure that every child in school will have access to a computer within the next five years. Our computer literacy level will then be as high as that in the United States," he said.
But a network is only as good as the applications that run on it, according to the premier.
Singapore One was not just a high-bandwidth communication network, he said.
"Singapore One can bring about a whole new way of accessing and transacting information for business, entertainment and education. In short, Singapore One is the start of a whole new way of working, living and learning," Goh said.
Singapore is ahead in linking the information network electronically compared with other nations in Southeast Asia.
Malaysia and Indonesia have also set IT projects. Malaysia plans to establish the information Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project, while Indonesia will set up Nusantara 21, which will connect the whole archipelago to the information superhighway.