• Dialing in to Asia’s Expanding Telecoms Market
• A Hub for the Global Telecoms Business
• Making Headway with R&D
• Leading the Ultra High Speed Charge in Asia

The populous Asia Pacific market has a tremendous appetite for telecommunications services. Basic telephony services in many markets remain unmet. Demand for higher bandwidth services and data hosting services from enterprises is on the rise. Demand is also powering ahead for satellite services, mobile telephony and online services. In 2008, research firm IDC forecasts that information communications and technology (ICT) spending in Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) will grow 10 per cent from 2007.

Singapore has extensive international connectivity as well as one of the best telecommunications networks in the world. It is thus well positioned to capture this new growth. It is also an ideal springboard for telecoms and network companies that seek to make inroads into the region.

Singapore’s telecoms industry is well-integrated. A wide array of companies call Singapore home, from infocomm product developers and network equipment providers to telecoms operators, data centres and application developers. These companies are engaged in a full suite of activities ranging from headquarters operations, R&D, industrial design, supply chain management, manufacturing, to test-bedding and application development.

Aside from the synergies of being in a cluster, telecoms companies located here can also leverage Singapore’s world-class base of local and global talent as well as excellent infrastructure and connectivity to develop and deliver telecomms solutions for global markets.

Companies can tap on the growing depth of R&D capabilities in Singapore’s telecoms sector to develop and test-bed new products and services for the region and the world. One such example is the Institute for Infocomm Research, which is a member of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) family. Established in 2002, it conducts research in information, communications and media technologies.

A fast, efficient, and secure infocomms network is an indispensable pillar in today’s globalised, interdependent world. An early adopter of new technologies, Singapore intends to continue improving its infocomms infrastructure. By 2015, its broadband network, already one of the best in the world, will offer ultra high speeds of up to 1Gbps and beyond.