Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Singapore
Telecoms
Infrastructure,
Regulations - Statistics and Analyses
Operators,
Table of Contents
1.
2.
3.
Synopsis .............................................................................................................................................2
Key statistics ......................................................................................................................................2
Telecommunications market ..............................................................................................................3
3.1
Market Overview and Analysis................................................................................................3
4. Regulatory environment.....................................................................................................................4
4.1
Historic overview .....................................................................................................................4
4.2
Regulatory authority.................................................................................................................5
4.3
Recent Developments...............................................................................................................6
4.3.1
Cyber Security Agency (CSA) ............................................................................................6
4.3.2
Potential Restructure of IDA ...............................................................................................6
5. Fixed network operators.....................................................................................................................6
5.1
Singapore Telecom (SingTel) ..................................................................................................6
5.2
StarHub ....................................................................................................................................7
5.3
PacNet ......................................................................................................................................7
6. Telecommunications infrastructure....................................................................................................8
6.1
Overview of the national telecom network ..............................................................................8
6.2
The Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) ..............................9
6.2.1
Introduction..........................................................................................................................9
6.2.2
Latest Developments............................................................................................................9
6.2.3
Structure of Singapores national broadband network ......................................................10
6.2.4
Background and Timeline..................................................................................................11
6.3
International infrastructure.....................................................................................................11
6.3.1
Satellite networks...............................................................................................................11
6.3.2
Submarine cable networks .................................................................................................12
6.3.3
Other developments ...........................................................................................................13
6.4
Specific IT developments.......................................................................................................14
6.4.1
Data Centres.......................................................................................................................14
6.4.2
Data Centre Providers ........................................................................................................14
6.4.3
Cloud Computing...............................................................................................................16
7. Smart infrastructure..........................................................................................................................17
7.1
M2M/IoT................................................................................................................................17
7.2
Smart Nation Platform ...........................................................................................................17
7.2.1
Overview............................................................................................................................17
7.2.2
Singapores Safe City Test Bed initiative..........................................................................18
7.2.3
Virtual Singapore...............................................................................................................18
7.2.4
Infocomm Media 2025.......................................................................................................19
7.2.5
ICT Tenders Focusing on Digital Services........................................................................19
8. Related reports .................................................................................................................................19
Table 1 Country statistics 2016 ...........................................................................................................2
Table 2 Telephone network statistics 2016..........................................................................................3
Table 3 Broadband statistics 2016 .......................................................................................................3
Table 4 Mobile statistics 2016 .............................................................................................................3
Table 5 National telecommunications authorities ..................................................................................3
Exhibit 1 Key regulatory and liberalisation developments 2005 - 2014 .............................................4
Table 6 Fixed-line versus mobile growth subscribers and penetration 1998 - 2016 ........................8
Chart 1 Fixed subscribers 2003 2016 ...............................................................................................9
Table 7 Overview of fixed-line subscribers 2015 - 2016 ....................................................................9
Exhibit 2 Structure of National Broadband Network ...........................................................................10
Exhibit 3 International submarine cable systems with landing points in Singapore ............................13
1.
SYNOPSIS
Singapore continues to maintain a strong positive outlook in the countrys telecommunications sector.
The island state has built a competitive telecoms market over the past three decades, aided by its
geographical disposition and its excellent infrastructure. On the back of its increasingly sophisticated
infrastructure, Singapore consistently appears among the top economies in the various global rankings
for ICT development and performance.
Singapore has developed the status of a world leader in telecommunications through the building of a
high quality and extremely progressive regulatory environment for the local telecommunications sector
that has, in turn, generated a highly competitive market.
In its efforts to maintain Singapores 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). The roll out and deployment of this national network in line with the governments strategy
has effectively been completed and there is rapid take-up of fibre-based services.
Singapore has been working to shape itself into what it says will be the worlds first Smart Nation
where data and analytics play a critical role in its society and economy. Smart Nation is Singapores
vision to tap into the potential of technology to improve the lives of citizens, create greater
opportunities for business, and build a more anticipatory government.
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 governments strong commitment to deregulation of the industry.
The report also provides an overview of Singapores domestic and international infrastructure.
Key developments:
M1 began to deploy a next-generation SDN technology proof of concept for its cloud-based data
center.
Ericsson has been working with Singtel to prepare the carriers 4G LTE network to support the
growing demand in connected devices, and ultimately 5G
The IDA began to develop the Smart Nation Platform (SNP) and initiatives that boost soft
infrastructure.
Data and analytics start to play a critical role in Singapores Smart Nation initiative;
IDA has provided about S$20 million worth of project opportunities for Singapore-based tech
firms.
Singapore government agencies are engaged in a project to develop Virtual Singapore.
SingTel announced that it would roll out next generation Gigabit Passive Optical Network
(GPON) technology on its FttH network.
Companies mentioned in this report:
SingTel; StarHub, MobileOne (M1), Telekom Malaysia (Axiata).
2.
KEY STATISTICS
COUNTRY STATISTICS
5.5 million
1,234,000
660 sq km
Singapore
Singapore Dollar (S$)
US$294 billion
US$84,900
2.2%
Parliamentary republic
MOBILE STATISTICS
8,233,100
2%
149%
SingTel
StarHub
MobileOne (M1)
3.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS MARKET
3.1
Singapore continues to maintain a strong positive outlook in the countrys telecommunications sector.
The island state has built a competitive telecoms market over the past three decades, aided by its
geographical disposition and its excellent infrastructure. On the back of its increasingly sophisticated
infrastructure, Singapore consistently appears among the top economies in the various global rankings
for ICT development and performance.
Singapore has developed the status of a world leader in telecommunications through the building of a
high quality and extremely progressive regulatory environment for the local telecommunications sector
that has, in turn, generated a highly competitive market.
The World Economic Forum has described Singapore as Asias most connected country, noting that it
was leading the region in terms of ICT development. The mix of mobile services is rapidly changing,
with 2G having almost disappeared, 3G numbers are declining and Long Term Evolution (LTE) / 4G
service offerings continue to expand rapidly. Broadband access and data services are also increasing at
an impressive rate.
Singapore has earned the title of the intelligent island after years of hard work, achieving high world
rankings in most categories of technical advancement. The governments vision for this began with its
Singapore One project, in what was the worlds first nationwide broadband network. This was carried
through into the future with the progressive implementation of another government initiative, the
iN2015 Master Plan.
In its efforts to maintain Singapores 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). The roll out and deployment of this national network in line with the governments strategy
has effectively been completed and there is rapid take-up of fibre-based services. The NGNBN is
expected to see Singapore overtake South Korea as the leading FttH market in the world. Part of the
governments plan is the construction of a 1Gb/s fibre-to-the-premises (FttP) network.
Prior to liberalisation, Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) was the only operator providing
Singapore with domestic and international telephony services. Once the market was opened up to
competition, a massive change took place with a series of facilities-based and service-based licences
being issued. Despite the highly competitive market that has since been established, SingTel continues
to be a significant player. The companys regional expansion has been conspicuously successful. One
of the by-products of the liberalised market has been that Singapores telecommunications equipment
market has become dominated by foreign companies because domestic companies have not been able
to meet the capital demand created by the governments infrastructure plans and the islands
sophisticated consumer base.
In January 2016 the Singapore government announced plans to restructure the telecoms regulator
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and the Media Development Authority (MDA)
into two new entities: the Infocommunications Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the
Government Technology Organisation (GTO).
Singapore has been working to shape itself into what it says will be the worlds first Smart Nation
where data and analytics play a critical role in its society and economy. Smart Nation is Singapores
vision to tap into the potential of technology to improve the lives of citizens, create greater
opportunities for business, and build a more anticipatory government. It provides an operating system
that public agencies can connect, collect, and analyse captured data collected via sensors. It will also
ensure that data collected and shared is managed securely. Singapores smart nation projects now
include smart sensor networks for water and air, smart logistics that enable interoperability standards
throughout the supply chain, and smart sensors in the homes of the elderly or chronically ill.
Infocomm Media 2025, an integrated plan to guide the development of Singapores infocomm media
sectors over the next 10 years was released in August 2015.
4.
REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT
4.1
HISTORIC OVERVIEW
NetLink Trust, a SingTel subsidiary, becomes the fibre network operator for
the Next Gen NBN
IDA reduces the maximum number of SIMs per person from ten to three
Rival operators lodge objection with IDA to OpenNet acquisition
IDA asked to approve acquisition of OpenNet by SingTel subsidiary
IDA fines major operators for falling short on coverage requirements for 3G
SingTel wins IDA contracts to accelerate adoption of cloud computing
IDA issues a consultation paper outlining its 4G/LTE plans
IDA sets new service standards for 3G mobile.
IDA intervenes in rollout of NBN following concerns about rate of progress
MICA initiates consultation process for establishing a Do Not Call registry
IDA upgrades consumer protection rules for telecom sector.
IDA announced new rules for telecom service contracts requiring them to be
December 2009
capped at 24 months; penalties for early termination were also to be reduced.
IDA announces that StarHubs proposal has been chosen as the Operating
April 2009
Company (OpCo) for the National Broadband Network (NBN) project.
Spam Control Act comes into effect; provision for fines of up to S$1 million.
June 2007
IDA issues a request for concepts for part of the Next Gen NBN Project.
September 2005
IDAs pilot implementation of IP telephony policy.
June 2005
IDA issues six wireless broadband access (WBA) spectrum licences in the
May 2005
2.3GHz and 2.5GHz frequency bands.
IDA frees up the 2.3GHz and 2.5GHz frequency bands for use by broadband
March 2005
wireless services; opens bidding to operators.
January 2005
4.2
REGULATORY AUTHORITY
Singapores Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) was established as the countrys regulatory body
for telecommunications and information technology in 1999. It was formed through the merging of
Telecommunications Authority of Singapore (TAS) and the National Computer Board (NCB). The
NCB was the government agency responsible for information technology at the time, while the TAS
was the national telecommunications policy regulator.
The IDA, an agency operating under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology,
was made responsible for driving information technology and communications growth in Singapore
and hastening the speed of deregulation and liberalisation. The authoritys first task was to put the
governments Information and Communications Technology 21 (ICT 21) Master Plan into action.
The IDAs charter could be briefly described in terms of its three main functions:
to promote and facilitate the growth and development of an efficient and internationally
competitive information and communication technology (ICT) sector in Singapore;
to carry out licensing and regulatory functions, and help maintain effective competition in the ICT
sector;
to promote an Information Society in which ICT is readily available and accessible to the people.
Since its establishment, the IDA has been central to the growth and development of the dynamic
telecom market in Singapore. Some of the key developments initiated under the regulators guidance
are listed in Exhibit 2.
4.3
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
4.3.1
In April 2015 the Singapore government launched a Cyber Security Agency (CSA), replacing the
Singapore Infocomm Technology Security Authority (SITSA). It will consolidate and build upon the
governments cyber security capabilities, including strategy and policy development, cyber security
operations, industry development and outreach. It will also work closely with the private sector.
4.3.2
In January 2016 the Singapore government announced plans to restructure the telecoms regulator
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and the Media Development Authority (MDA)
into two new entities: the Infocommunications Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the
Government Technology Organisation (GTO). The move will be implemented from the second half of
2016 so as to better capitalise the ongoing convergence in areas such as payTV and
telecommunications and take into account the evolving responsibilities IDA has taken on in recent
times, such as cybersecurity and the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).
5.
5.1
SingTel provides domestic, international and mobile telecommunications. It offers a diverse range of
services including fixed, mobile, data, internet, TV, ICT and digital solutions. It is headquartered in
Singapore and its subsidiary Optus is based in Australia. With the opening up of the domestic market to
competition, SingTel decided to expand its activities beyond Singapore and its strategic plan has been
to build a range of regional and global corporate data, wholesale, mobile, systems integration, internet
and e-commerce businesses, either on its own or through overseas partnerships. It can now claim to be
a global communications carrier. As well as Singapore its global portfolio of markets includes among
others India, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and
Australia. Through its alliance with Indias Bharti SingTel also has extended its reach in South Asia
and also has an extensive presence in Africa. It has been at the forefront of Singapores development as
a sophisticated regional hub for communications and has been played a key role in the governments
ongoing intelligent nation strategy. It is majority-owned (52% in September 2012) by Temasek
Holdings (Private) Ltd, which is in turn 100% owned by the Singapore government.
SingTel has been at the forefront of Singapores development as a sophisticated regional hub for
communications and has been played a key role in the governments ongoing intelligent nation
strategy. The company provides domestic, international and mobile telecommunications in the island
state. With the opening up of the domestic market to competition, SingTel decided to expand its
activities beyond Singapore and its strategic plan has been to build a range of regional and global
corporate data, wholesale, mobile, systems integration, internet and e-commerce businesses, either on
its own or through overseas partnerships. It can now claim to be a global communications carrier. As
well as Singapore its global portfolio of markets includes among others India, Malaysia, Indonesia, the
Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Australia. Through its alliance with Indias
Bharti SingTel also has extended its reach in South Asia and also has an extensive presence in Africa.
The company was corporatised in 1992 and listed on the Singapore stock market in 1993.
It is majority-owned (52% in September 2012) by Temasek Holdings (Private) Ltd, which is in turn
100% owned by the Singapore government. In order to smooth the way for SingTel to undertake
acquisitions in the Asia Pacific region, in 2001 the government declared itself willing to reduce its
stake, and to cede the special golden share that gives it the right of veto in major company decisions.
5.2
STARHUB
StarHub is a fully integrated telco providing a wide range of services for including mobile and fixed
broadband. StarHub operates a mobile network that provides 4G, 3G and 2G services. It was awarded a
licence for fixed (domestic and international) and mobile services in 1998. It also manages an HFC
network that delivers multi-channel pay TV services as well as residential broadband services. StarHub
operates an extensive fixed business network that provides a wide range of data, voice and wholesale
services. Over Singapores fibre-based Nationwide Broadband Network, StarHub offers a broad range
of home and business broadband plans, as well as commercial and residential IPTV services. StarHub
was the first telecommunications company in the Asia Pacific region to introduce fixed and mobile
converged services on a fully integrated platform.
5.3
PACNET
Initially operating as one of Singapores biggest internet service providers (ISPs), Pacific Internet Ltd
(PacNet) has evolved into a significant local and regional player which continues to be known as
PacNet. After initially being granted a facilities-based operator (FBO) licence when the Singapore
telecom market was opened up, PacNet began rolling out voice and data services and started to
generally broaden its range of services. PacNet, which, unlike SingTel and StarHub, did not have its
own last-mile access, offered a DSL service over SingTels network.
PacNet has positioned itself to offer a comprehensive portfolio of products including DSL broadband
connections for home offices, multiprotocol label switching IP-VPN services for global multinational
corporations and wholesale capacity for carriers. The company had also embarked on an upgrade of its
NGN that would increase network efficiency and reliability on the EAC-C2C cable system. While the
company had expressed interest earlier on in being part of a joint venture for wholesale operations of
Singapores proposed NGN broadband network in terms of routing and selling bandwidth, it had no
plans to participate directly in the NetCo.
The company has installed a submarine cable called the EAC Pacific, linking Japan and the US. It is a
part of PacNets Unity cable system. In April 2010, PacNet announced that EAC Pacific was ready for
service following intensive testing.
In January 2014 PacNet announced the opening of a new US$90 million Tier-3 data centre in
Singapore, labelled Singapore CloudSpace II (SGCS2). The facility was set to serve multinational
companies and local businesses, providing connectivity to Pacnets 46,000km of regional undersea
cable systems. As well as providing customers with co-location and connectivity services, the new
centre also offered them access to Pacnets managed services, including Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS)
and Pacnet Enabled Network (PEN). Pacnet said that with the addition of the SGCS2 facility, it was
operating considerable data centre space across 14 cities in the region, all of which were connected by
Pacnets high speed fibre networks.
6.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE
6.1
Singapores fixed-line service market has continued to be dominated by the countrys incumbent
operator SingTel. Even with StarHub offering fixed-line services, SingTel has retained the bulk of this
market. The operator supports close to one fixed line for every two people in Singapore. With its
remarkably high rate of fixed-line telephone household connections (nominally 100%), it is noted that
about 20% of the population have two fixed-line telephones at home.
Table 6 Fixed-line versus mobile growth subscribers and penetration 1998 - 2016
Year
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Fixed
subscribers1
1,751,500
1,850,700
1,935,900
1,948,500
1,930,200
1,896,600
1,864,000
1,847,800
1,851,000
1,859,300
1,857,100
1,896,100
1,983,900
2,016,900
1,989,500
1,987,600
1,967,000
1,996,700
2,016,100
Penetration
55%
58%
59%
47%
46%
45%
45%
43%
41%
41%
38%
38%
39%
39%
38%
37%
36%
36%
37%
2015
1,996,700
1,252,800
744,000
36.5%
98.6%
2016
2,001,200
1,285,400
731,100
36.4%
97.1%
6.2
THE NEXT GENERATION NATIONWIDE BROADBAND NETWORK (NEXT GEN
NBN)
6.2.1
Introduction
The Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) is Singapores all-fibre ultrahigh-speed broadband network, a project under the Intelligent National 2015 (iN2015) masterplan by
the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) that is capable of delivering speeds of
1Gbps and above, to all homes, offices and schools to offer pervasive connectivity around Singapore.
6.2.2
Latest Developments
In mid 2016 Prysmian Group, a provider of solutions for the energy and telecom cable systems
industries, was selected to support the ongoing development of Singapores next generation national
broadband network (Next GenNBN) by winning separate contracts from Singapore Telecom (Singtel)
and NetLink Trust, the NetCo responsible for the construction, deployment and maintenance of the
networks passive infrastructure. Prysmian Group will supply up to 25,000km of optical fibre cables by
2018, which includes underground, flame retardant and ribbon types.
6.2.3
Singapore has set itself up an incubator for testing the practicality of a real-life open access national
broadband network. The compact geographical nature of the island state makes the rollout of
infrastructure considerably easier. Apart from geographical compactness, another advantage Singapore
has over other markets is it has been building steadily towards this latest strategy with a series of
nationwide plans and projects Singapore One, Wireless@SG, Intelligent Nation 2015 (IN2015), etc
which have provided a solid foundation for the launch of the NGNBN project and, most importantly,
have helped develop sophisticated telecom planning skills in the island state.
The IDA mapped out a very clear strategy for the development of this strategic network. The Next Gen
NBN was to comprise three key conceptual industry layers. Underpinning the whole Next Gen NBN
was the NetCo, which was to be responsible for the design, building and operation of the first layer
the passive infrastructure layer. Leveraging the Next Gen NBN NetCos passive infrastructure would
be an OpCo that would provide the second layer and be responsible for the design, building and
operation of the active infrastructure to provide wholesale broadband connectivity to other operating
companies and downstream operators, in particular, Retail Service Providers (RSPs). These RSPs
would comprise the third layer and would in turn compete to provide innovative services to the endusers.
For Singapore to fully benefit from the economic opportunities of this all-pervasive, ultra-high speed
infrastructure, it was essential that the Next Gen NBN be able to deliver effective open access to the
infrastructure to the downstream operators. This would be necessary to create a truly competitive
broadband market.
The government therefore decided, as a matter of policy, to adopt separation between the different
layers of the Next Gen NBN to achieve this open access. The OpCo would be required to be
operationally separated from the downstream RSPs, in line with the industry structure envisaged for
the Open Access Next Gen NBN. It was noted by the IDA that, compared to the structural separation
imposed on the NetCo, operational separation was a less stringent form of separation as the OpCo
would be allowed to retain full shareholding ownership of its downstream operating units, such as
RSPs.
Nevertheless, the OpCo would be required to treat all downstream units equally and on a nondiscriminatory basis. The OpCo would in fact need to operate on a standalone basis, separate from its
affiliated downstream operating units, and be subject to various obligations, including being
established as a separate legal entity and maintaining separate board, management and staff.
In addition to the operational separation requirements, the Next Gen NBN OpCo would also be
obligated as follows:
Price Control: The OpCo would be required to offer fair and non-discriminatory wholesale
broadband services to other operating companies and downstream operators, such as RSPs,
through an Interconnection Offer (ICO). The prices and terms and conditions of these wholesale
offerings were to be regulated by the IDA.
Universal Service Obligation: The OpCo would be required to complement a similar obligation on
the NetCo. It would be obliged to meet all reasonable requests by any operating company or
downstream RSP for access to a basic set of wholesale services offered under its ICO.
Exhibit 2 Structure of National Broadband Network
Layers
Responsible
entity
Layer 1
Network
Company
(NetCo)
Layer2
Operating
Company
(OpCo)
Assigned role
Assigned operator/s
Open Net (Axia Net
Media 30%; SingTel
30%; SPH 25%; SP
Telecom 15%)
Nucleus Connect
(100% owned by
StarHub)
Government
subsidy
S$750 million
S$250 million
10
Layer 3
Retail service
providers
(RSPs)
n/a
6.2.4
The OpenNet consortium was announced by the Ministry of Information Communications and the Arts
(MICA) in 2008 as the winning bidder for the NetCo tender. Axia NetMedia, the Canada-based
consortium leader, and SingTel each held a 30% stake in OpenNet, while Singapore Press Holdings
(SPH) owned 25% and SP Telecom 15%.
The NGNBN began commercial operations in 2010 with two new ISPs joining the market. Nucleus
Connect, the network wholesaler, reported that it had signed up five retail customers M1, SingTel,
StarHub and the two newcomers SuperInternet and LGA. The established operators moved quickly to
announce their plans for serving customers on the network.
In 2012 SingTel launched a next generation carrier Ethernet network. The company deployed a
Multiprotocol Label Switching Transport Profile (MPLS-TP) technology for its ConnectPlus E-Line
service, which was designed to deliver multinational customers with scalable ultra-high speed internet
access across the globe. The Cisco-supplied technology delivers up to 10Gb/s to support bandwidthintensive applications.
In September 2013, seven Singapore-based telecom companies, including M1 and StarHub, requested
that the government reject a proposal by SingTel to purchase the company building the NGNBN.
Singapores NetLink Trust announced in October 2014 that it had completed the integration of the Next
Gen NBN core fibre infrastructure and resources into one operation. As of 1st October 2014, NetLink
Trust became the fibre network operator for the Next Gen NBN, taking over from OpenNet, which was
subsumed into the enlarged entity. NetLink Trust had also fully integrated the passive infrastructure of
the respective companies; this includes central offices, ducts and a manhole network, and the
capabilities of fibre network design, build and management. By September 2014 NetLink Trust
claimed that it had delivered more than 620,000 fibre subscriptions.
6.3
INTERNATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE
6.3.1
Satellite networks
Inevitably, a proportion of the international telecommunications traffic handled in Singapore was being
transmitted via satellite systems. In fact, Singapore has become one of the most aggressive satellite
markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Operator SingTel had three major satellite earth stations providing
direct transmissions to over 80 countries. Apart from investing in satellite systems such as APT,
Intelsat and Inmarsat, SingTel launched the first of its own satellites, ST-1. In addition to a fleet of six
satellites, SingTel had access to another 30 satellites worldwide.
6.3.1.1 ST-1/ST-2
The ST-1 satellite which was launched in 1998 is co-owned by SingTel and Taiwans Chunghwa. It has
a total capacity of 16 Ku-band transponders and 14 Extended C-band transponders. SingTel had the use
of 15 of the transponders on the ST-1 satellite.
SingTel and Taiwans Chunghwa Telecom combined again to award Mitsubishi Electric a S$200
million (US$130 million) contract in 2008 to build ST-2, the second satellite to be shared by the two
operators. The ST-1 satellite was to be eventually replaced by the planned ST-2 satellite. SingTel said
11
6.3.1.2 Intelsat/Inmarsat
In Singapore Intelsat satellites were being used for mobile systems and InmarSat-B and Inmarsat-M for
digital systems. The very small aperture terminals (VSAT) market had been liberalised in 1994.
Companies were able to set up individual communication links using dishes of up to two metres.
However, VSAT users still needed a licence for intra-corporate use and closed networks.
6.3.1.4 Globalstar
US-based mobile satellite voice and data communications provider Globalstar entered into an alliance
with SingTel in 2007 that provided for SingTel to construct and operate a Globalstar gateway ground
station at its Seletar Satellite earth station facility. The ground station expanded Globalstars satellite
coverage of Singapore and Malaysia, as well as parts of Indonesia, Brunei and the surrounding
Southeast Asian maritime shipping region. SingTel subsequently began offering Globalstars entire
suite of next-generation advanced satellite voice and data solutions.
6.3.2
6.3.2.1 Overview
Over the years SingTel has invested in a series of submarine cables including the SEA-ME-WE
systems, Asia-Pacific Cable Network (APCN) and APCN 2, City-to-City (C2C), China-Southeast Asia
Cable and Network i2i. This has been part of SingTels strategy to progressively gear up its
international data communications services to target multinational businesses operating in Japan and
China. SingTel proceeded to buy the rights to long-term use of submarine cables linking Tokyo with
the West Coast of the US, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
In a key move in 2004 the IDA announced that it was allowing the market greater access to SingTels
submarine cable capacity. This increased access to SingTels submarine cable infrastructure was set to
give the rival operators, including StarHub, MCI and Reach, more scope to expand their service
12
Launch
2009
Proposed (2014)
1996
APCN 2
2001
1996
2001
2002
2002
1997
2008
Proposed
2002
2010
SEA-ME-WE 3
1999
SEA-ME-WE 4
2006
2013
SEA-ME-WE 5
Proposed
(2016)
2004
Landing points
Singapore - Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand,
Vietnam, Hong Kong, Philippines, Guam,
Hawaii (US) and the US West Coast.
Singapore - Taiwan, China, South Korea,
Japan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam,
Thailand, Malaysia.
Singapore - Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong,
Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
Singapore - China, Hong Kong, Japan, South
Korea, Malaysia, Philippines and Taiwan.
Brunei-Singapore.
China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and
the Philippines.
Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines.
Japan, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan,
South Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Landing points in Asia: South Korea, Singapore,
Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan.
Singapore-Indonesia.
Singapore-Australia.
Australia, Singapore, Indonesia.
India-Singapore.
Trans-Pacific: Japan-US (SingTel shareholder).
Landing points in Asia: Pakistan, India, Sri
Lanka,
Myanmar,
Thailand,
Malaysia,
Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia,
Brunei, Vietnam, Philippines, Macau, Hong
Kong, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan.
Landing points in Asia: Pakistan, India, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia,
Singapore.
Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong,
Japan.
Core system from Singapore to France via
Kenya.
India-Singapore.
6.3.3
Other developments
In January 2015, GlobeTel Singapore, a wholly owned subsidiary of GTI Business Holdings, which is
itself 100%-owned by Filipino operator Globe Telecom, secured a facilities-based operations (FBO)
licence from the IDA to provide international cable and other telecommunications services in
Singapore. GlobeTel Singapore intends to use the FBO licence to launch international cable services,
strengthening connectivity between Singapore and the Philippines, as well as supporting business users
in both countries.
13
6.4
SPECIFIC IT DEVELOPMENTS
6.4.1
Data Centres
6.4.2
6.4.2.2 M1
In November 2014 M1 launched its next-generation data centre and an enhanced suite of enterprise
cloud offerings. Located at M1s main International Business Park office site, the purpose-built facility
was designed to support more than 900 high-power density racks, triple its previous capacity. The
ISO27001 and ISO9001-certified facility has been equipped with redundant power and cooling
systems, among other security features. The facility will also give the SME segment access to features
such as cold aisle containment, as well as temperature, humidity and power utilisation sensors on all
server racks, options previously available only to large corporate users. (Cold aisle containment
prevents hot exhaust and cold air for cooling from mixing and hence, improves cooling efficiency and
equipment performance.) In addition to the launch of its new data centre, M1 announced strategic
partnerships with technology vendors to enhance its cloud offerings. These included Hitachi Data
Systems.
In 2016 M1 began collaborating with VMware, Palo Alto Networks and Huawei to deploy a nextgeneration SDN technology proof of concept for its cloud-based data center. SDN technology is
14
6.4.2.4 Telin
PT Telkom subsidiary Telin Singapore started construction of a 20,000 square meter, five-storey Data
Centre and Telecommunication Hub located at Singapores Data Centre Park (DCP) in Jurong in June
2015. It will be the first data centre opened at the DCP. The facility will be the third data centre owned
and managed by Telin Singapore. Telin-3 was due to be completed by the third quarter of 2016. This
facility will be built to meet mission-critical and high-power computing applications and operational
requirements. It will provide high-speed low-latency connectivity between Indonesia and Singapore
using Telkoms subsea cable systems. It will be built to the Uptime Institutes Tier-III or IV
specifications.
6.4.2.5 Starhub
StarHub and Japanese infrastructure and data centre provider KVH announced in November 2014 that
they had teamed up to offer KVHs DCNet in Singapore. DCNet is a private network interconnecting
leading data centres in Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, with on-ramp access from key data centres
in the US. Utilising StarHubs fibre network, DCNet had been made available in ten data centres across
Singapore with plans to quickly expand to additional data centres in Singapore. These data centres host
content distributors, major application and cloud providers, and carrier hubs. Customers were able to
use DCNets pre-wired network to connect to an ecosystem of third-party data centres in Asia through
a simple cross-connect, with the aim of achieving a single, virtual, and borderless data centre set up.
In July 2015 ST Telemedia and StarHub entered a strategic joint venture partnership where ST
Telemedias subsidiary, STT GDC takes a 70% stake in Shine Systems Assets (SSAPL), which holds
the MediaHub data centre. StarHub was holding the remaining 30% stake in SSAPL at the time.
Previously, SSAPL was wholly owned by StarHub. MediaHub will become StarHubs convergence
hub for its fixed, mobile and pay TV networks. The facility is located at Mediapolis@one-north,
Singapores first digital media hub where emerging media technologies, content, services and
applications will be developed, produced, financed and distributed globally. Under the partnership, the
facility will be managed and operated as a carrier-neutral, tier-3 data centre. StarHub will sub-lease
space at least 65% of the total floor area of MediaHub. Its media headend, social analytics lab and
adaptive production studio will also be housed at the facility.
6.4.2.6 SingTel
Singtel is building a new US$285 million data centre in Jurong that will be operational by the third
quarter of 2016, taking its total number of data centre assets in the region to 13: nine in Singapore and
two each in Hong Kong and Australia. The new Tier-3+ facility will be designed to meet rising demand
for cloud-based and colocation services in Singapore. The new 570,000 square foot, network-ready
data centre will supply secure, high-grade private and colocation data hosting capabilities. It will host a
15
6.4.3
Cloud Computing
In May 2012 SingTel secured two important contracts awarded by the IDA to accelerate the Singapore
governments adoption of cloud computing.
The first will see SingTel carry out a five-year project to deploy a private cloud computing
infrastructure on a whole-of-government basis. To be rolled out by the end of 2012, G-Cloud marks the
first private cloud infrastructure to be developed on such a scale to cover all government bodies in
Singapore. As part of the deal, SingTel will provide and maintain G-Cloud for an initial five years with
the option for renewal of a further five years.
The second contract awarded by the IDA, the Cloud Services Bulk Tender, requires SingTel to offer
public cloud services to the government. This is part of IDAs plan to support the growth and
competitiveness of Singapore industries by promoting the use of cloud services. The tender mandates
SingTel to provide public cloud services to the government for two years, with the option of a further
one year extension.
SingTel has chosen HP in July 2012 as its strategic partner for the G-Cloud project. SingTel said the
partnership, which will be known as Innovum, will implement the private cloud computing
infrastructure on a whole-of-government basis as required by the IDA tender. HP said that the G-Cloud
would be built on its proprietary CloudSystem.
The number of SingTel customers using cloud services had grown to 200,000 by June 2012, up from
180,000 in March 2012.
In August 2012 IT distributor Avnet Technology Solutions launched a line of cloud services in
Singapore. The company said that Avnet Cloud Services had been designed to allow resellers to enter
the fast-growing cloud services market with no upfront investment. At the time Avnet had one data
centre in Singapore, two in Sydney, Australia, and one in Melbourne, Australia. The high-security data
centres are ISO 27001 security certified.
In February 2014 Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ) announced the launch of IIJ GIO Singapore Service,
offering cloud computing services in Singapore. The company said IIJ GIO Singapore Service would
enable customers to build flexible systems that meet their diverse needs, combining a range of servers,
connection services and operation supervision services on a robust cloud-computing platform.
Ribose became the worlds first cloud service provider (CSP) to achieve Singapores Multi-Tier Cloud
Security (MTCS) certification. It achieved this in August 2014. The MTCS was initiated by the IDA
and developed under the Information Technology Standards Committee (ITSC). It is a Singapore
Standard (SS 584:2013) that specifies stringent security and operational requirements for CSPs to
encourage adoption of sound risk management and security practices. The certification specifies three
tiers of security certification, with level three being the highest. Riboses level one MTCS certification
was awarded after thorough evaluation by BSI (British Standards Institution), a participating
Certification Body for the MTCS standard.
In October 2014 SingTel announced that it had teamed up with Microsoft to launch the Cloud
Operating System Network (COSN) in Asia-Pacific, the first operator in the region to do so. The
COSN was designed to allow customers to move their data and workloads between the public cloud, a
dedicated private cloud and SingTels virtual private cloud. It uses SingTels hybrid cloud platform
SingTel Managed Cloud and allows customers to use Microsoft applications over the operators cloud
infrastructure.
16
7.
SMART INFRASTRUCTURE
7.1
M2M/IOT
In mid-2015 Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) began
collaborating with Intel to establish Open Innovation Labs at each tertiary institution to help students
develop modern skill sets and spur innovation in the Internet of Things (IoT) and wearables space. The
initiative is aligned with the Singapore governments vision to support innovators in developing and
building technology ecosystems. The Open Innovation Labs with Intel will help nurture local
innovation and encourage creative thinking, designing, making and inventing.
In 2015, IoT software and services provider Greenwave Systems opened a new R&D centre in
Singapore to further expand its innovation capabilities for the Internet of Things. Located in Science
Park II, the new facility focuses on developing new IoT technologies for Greenwave's media, as well as
service providers, insurance, utility and consumer electronics partners and customers globally.
In 2016 Ericsson has been working with Singtel to prepare the carriers 4G LTE network to support the
growing demand in connected devices, and ultimately 5G, via a joint trial of Narrow Band Internet of
Things (NB-IoT) technology. The NB-IoT solution enables extended coverage and much less complex
devices and will allow Singtels mobile division to support new IoT users in areas such as smart cities,
utilities and the environment.
7.2
7.2.1
Overview
Singapore has been working to shape itself into what it says will be the worlds first Smart Nation
where data and analytics play a critical role in its society and economy. Smart Nation is Singapores
vision to tap into the potential of technology to improve the lives of citizens, create greater
opportunities for business, and build a more anticipatory government. It provides an operating system
that public agencies can connect, collect, and analyse captured data collected via sensors. It will also
ensure that data collected and shared is managed securely. Singapores smart nation projects now
include smart sensor networks for water and air, smart logistics that enable interoperability standards
throughout the supply chain, and smart sensors in the homes of the elderly or chronically ill.
The key role in this strategy is being played by the ICT regulator, the IDA. The authority has a primary
focus on building the Smart Nation Platform (SNP). In June 2014 The IDA announced plans to develop
the Smart Nation Platform (SNP) and initiatives that boost soft infrastructure. On top of enhancing the
existing connectivity in Singapore with technologies such as that used in Heterogeneous Network
(HetNet), the SNP brings together a nationwide sensor network and data analytics abilities, providing
better situational awareness through data collection, and sharing of collected sensor data. SNP will
thus comprise of components such as the communications backbone, sensor networks, data analytics
and real-world applications. The first phase focusing on the connectivity and sensor aspects expected to
be available by 2015. The project also includes development of intuitive interfaces or gesture control
and services in virtual reality.
As part of the SMP, by September 2014 the IDA was continuing to pursue its HetNet and other new
initiatives. A specialist IDA team was working to design, build and implement HetNet in partnership
with research institutes such as I2R, institutes of higher learning (IHLs) and many industry partners.
Another of the governments initiatives is the data-as-a-service (DaaS) pilot that seeks to address the
challenge of discovering datasets in the private sector through a federated approach. Data providers
from all industries are able to participate in the DaaS pilot to increase the visibility of their datasets and
reach out to new customers. Data providers will also be given an opportunity to understand and check
the relative quality of their datasets through a set of data quality metrics.
To help get the pilot off to a good start, the IDA signed a memorandum of intent (MoI) with Amazon
Web Services (AWS) to provide cloud computing services to the first 25 data providers when they sign
on to the pilot via AWS. In the meantime Singapore also announced that it was enhancing its Cloud
17
7.2.2
Singapores Safe City Test Bed initiative was completed in June 2014. The initiative was led by the
Safety and Security Industry Programme Office (SSIPO). It tested innovative solutions and developed
patent-pending technologies, including facial recognition video analytics, NECs Media Analytics
Platform, cross-site monitoring capabilities, authentication and digital signatures for video streams, as
well as NECs Pervasive Display Network. Technologies tested include:
The Media Analytics Platform which provides multiple sources of analytics and sensor data to
identify, comprehend and anticipate an incident. Analytics engines monitor visuals, sound, smell
as well as temperature to identify abnormalities, so as to trigger alerts to ensure public safety. It
can be used for flood monitoring, rubbish monitoring or ensuring safety at a public event.
Facial recognition video analytics which can be used with location-aware analytics to enable crosssite monitoring capabilities. The technology can be used to monitor, identify and track targeted
persons across different cameras at different times through correlation of data.
7.2.3
Virtual Singapore
Singapore government agencies are engaged in a project to develop Virtual Singapore. Virtual
Singapore was launched in December 2014 as part of Singapores Smart Nation drive. The Virtual
18
7.2.4
Infocomm Media 2025, an integrated plan to guide the development of Singapores infocomm media
sectors over the next 10 years was released in August 2015. IT sets out three broad strategic thrusts for
the sector:
Firstly to build on the power of data and data insights, advanced communications and
computational technologies to catalyse transformation across key sectors of the economy.
Secondly to develop a future ready workforce with the right capabilities and businesses that
embraces risk-taking and innovation; and
Thirdly to deploy infocomm media technologies in a people-centric manner to improve various
aspects of everyday life.
7.2.5
The Singapore government projects that $1.63 billion worth of ICT tenders will be launched in 2015,
focusing on digital services, data services and ICT infrastructure. An example is the OneService mobile
app, which enables the public to provide feedback on municipal issues. Citizens can snap photos and
send feedback on municipal issues, and the app automatically routes each feedback to the relevant
agency. A geo-tagging function helps agencies to resolve issues more quickly. Cybersecurity is
another critical area of focus as Singapore develops its digital government. Singpass, a personal
identification system, which allows citizens to access a range of public e-services, will be given
stronger security capabilities, such as two-factor authentication for e-transactions.
8.
RELATED REPORTS
Copyright Paul Budde Communication Pty Ltd, 2016. All rights reserved.
This material is subject to the laws of copyright and is restricted to registered licence-holders who have entered into a
Corporate, a Multi-User or a Single-User licence agreement with Paul Budde Communication Pty Ltd. It is an offence for the
licence-holder to make the material available to any unauthorised person, either via e-mail messaging or by placing it on a
network.
All BuddeComm research reports are intended to provide general information and strategic insights only, and they do not
constitute, nor are they intended to constitute, investment advice. BuddeComm and its employees disclaim all and any
guarantees, undertakings and warranties, whether express or implied, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever,
and whether foreseeable or not, arising out of, or in connection with, any use of or reliance on any information, statements,
opinions, estimates or forecasts contained in the reports.
19
Web: www.budde.com.au
20