Singapore launched a 10-year infocomm masterplan that will propel the nation into 2015 and beyond, with a line-up of activities and goals that spell benefits for the people, businesses and the global community. The vision is to turn the country into an Intelligent Nation and Global City.
Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lee Boon Yang said, "Innovation, integration and internationalization will be the basis of our masterplan. The capacity to innovate and create new business models, solutions and services will enable Singapore to be more competitive in a globalized environment. Equally important is the ability to integrate resources and capabilities for economic progress and digital opportunities for all Singaporeans."
The iN2015 masterplan is developed in the past year with inputs from the people, private and public sectors. A steering committee chaired by IDA with representatives from the infocomm industry, sectors like education, health care, manufacturing and logistics, finance, tourism and retail and digital media, as well as the government, guided the development. The masterplan sets bold targets for 2015:
Singapore to be No. 1 in the world in harnessing infocomm to add value to the economy.
A two-fold increase in value-added of the infocomm industry to $26 billion.
A three-fold increase in infocomm export revenue to $60 billion.
Create 80,000 additional jobs.
Have 90 percent of homes using broadband.
Ensure 100 percent computer ownership for all homes with school-going children.
The Next-Generation National Infocomm Infrastructure will be put in place by 2012, capable of delivering broadband speeds up to 1 Gbps, and offer pervasive connectivity around the country. The infrastructure will also be IPv6-compliant and will enable an exciting host of new broadband-enabled services and applications, such as immersive learning experiences, telemedicine, high definition TV, immersive video conferencing and Grid computing.
"The government together with the industry will pursue many of the recommendations from the iN2015 Steering Committee for Singapore's vision to be an intelligent nation and global city by 2015," said Chan Yeng Kit, chief executive officer of IDA Singapore. "IDA sees the iN2015 masterplan as a living plan that will evolve as we look into its implementation and respond to socio-economic and technology changes over the next 10 years."
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