Synopsis
Singapore continues to maintain a strong positive outlook in the country’s telecommunications sector. The island state has built a competitive telecoms market over the past three decades, aided by its geographical location and its excellent infrastructure. It was one of the first countries in the world to have a fully digital telephone network. The World Economic Forum has described Singapore as ‘Asia’s most connected country’, noting that it was leading the region in terms of ICT development. By early 2012 mobile penetration had passed 150%, with 3G customers comprising three quarters of the total mobile subscriber base. In maintaining Singapore’s status as an ICT market leader, the government launched its plan for a nationwide fibre-based broadband network known as the Next Generation Broadband Network (NGNBN) and this is being rolled out in line with the government’s strategy. At the same time Singapore’s mobile operators are already looking closely at the long-term evolution (LTE) platform for providing faster mobile broadband internet access into the future. This report takes a general look at the growth of the telecom sector in Singapore and how it has been assisted in its development by the government’s strong commitment to deregulation of the industry. The report also provides an overview of Singapore’s domestic and international infrastructure.
Key developments:
Singapore’s GDP real growth rate was 14.5% in 2010; this was followed by an estimated GDP growth of 4.5% in 2011; the IDA set new quality standards for 3G services; a consultation process for a Do Not Call registry was launched by the IDA.
Companies covered in this report include:
SingTel; StarHub, MobileOne (M1), Telekom Malaysia.
