Internet Infrastructure Development Trends in Singapore and the Region

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Internet Infrastructure Development
Trends in Singapore and the Region
Presentation by Eric Lie IDA
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Key areas of my presentation today

• Major Internet trends in Singapore
• Singapore ONE
• Wired with Wireless
• Promoting an e-Lifestyle for All
• Internet co-operation in the region
• e-ASEAN
• Intl Charging Arrangements for Internet
  Services (ICAIS)

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A few major trends in Singapore

• Singapore ONE
• Wired with Wireless
• Promoting an e-Lifestyle for All

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Singapore ONE

• Nation-Wide Availability
• gt 300,000 users
• Pervasive Public Access
• All schools
• Libraries, community centres
• Public training facilities
• Broadbanding Commercial Buildings
• Industrial Parks
• Active Industry Participation
• gt 300 local and foreign partners
• Platform for Innovative Services
• gt 200 Broadband Applications

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Wired with Wireless

• Launched in October 2000
• Initiative to accelerate RD deployment of
  wireless technologies, applications services
• Develop the entire wireless value-chain
• Focus on m-commerce, location-based services and
  wireless multimedia

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Promoting an e-Lifestyle for All

• IT Training for all
• National IT Literacy Programme for all walks of
  life
• Consumer Education
• e-Celebrations, roadshows
• Accessibility
• PC Reuse Scheme, Public access facilities
• Specialised programmes
• Ethnic language Internet programmes, assistive
  technology for the handicapped

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Internet Co-operation in the Region

• e-ASEAN
• ICAIS

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The Genesis of e-ASEAN

• First mooted at the ASEAN Summit in Hanoi in Dec
  1998. Concrete step towards realising ASEAN 2020
  vision.
• Working Group for ASEAN Information
  Infrastructure (WGAII) formed to develop concept
  and developmental plan for the AII
• AEM agreed in Sep 1999 to elevate the scope and
  status of the AII to an initiative called e-ASEAN
• In July 2001, ASEAN TELMIN undertook to share
  responsibility for e-ASEAN along with AEM

e-ASEAN Working Group
e-ASEAN Task Force
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The e-ASEAN Framework Agreement

• Signed by the ASEAN Leaders during the ASEAN
  Informal Summit in Singapore in November 2000
• Covers the following areas
• Establishment of the ASEAN Information
  Infrastructure (AII)
• Growth of electronic commerce
• Liberalisation of trade in ICT products and ICT
  services, and of Investments
• Facilitation of Trade in ICT products and
  services
• Capacity building and e-Society
• e-Government

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Some key initiatives
AII Backbone

• Purpose
• To work towards establishing high-speed direct
  connections between NIIs with a view to evolving
  this into an AII backbone
• Progress to date
• e-Readiness study findings completed
• Next Step
• Bandwidth Map of member countries to be
  compiled
• Study on common requirements for high speed
  capacity information processing and high speed
  communications for the next 2, 5 and 10 years
• Consideration of commercial supply and demand in
  striving to establish AII backbone

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e-ASEAN e-Readiness study

• Purpose
• To develop an understanding of the level of
  e-readiness of ASEAN countries and to provide
  recommendations for positioning ASEAN in the
  digital economy
• Progress to date
• Report by consultant prepared and presented to
  ASEAN Summit in November 2001
• Key findings and recommendations highlighted
• Next Step
• Implementation of an assessment system to enable
  ASEAN to regularly monitor progress and update
  initiatives

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e-ASEAN Technical Architecture

• Purpose
• To develop a Technical Architecture to serve as
  guideline for the development and implementation
  of interoperable e-applications and e-services
  across ASEAN
• Progress to date
• Overall design principles have been defined
• Next Step
• Develop specific technical architectures for
  network, security, e-payment and e-learning
  infrastructure and services

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ASEAN ISP Forum

• Purpose
• To facilitate and promote enhanced integration
  and interoperability of regional ISP services and
  the optimisation of Internet traffic within ASEAN
• Progress to date
• ASEAN ISP Forum working towards the setting up of
  regional Internet exchanges and gateways to make
  Internet traffic flow within ASEAN more efficient
  and cost-effective
• Next Steps
• Set up ASEAN ISP Association (ARISPA) as a formal
  body to drive the agenda

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Some capacity building initiatives

• Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI)
• Train the Trainers Programme
• Awareness Programmes
• IT Roadshows
• e-ASEAN Business Forum and industry Dialogue
• e-Education
• ASEAN School Net Forum
• e-Commerce
• Info-sharing seminars on e-commerce

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Endorsed Pilot Projects

• 19 projects endorsed by e-ASEAN Task Force
• Examples of projects endorsed
• ASEAN Regional Internet Exchange (ARIX)
• An infrastructure for localising and exchanging
  ASEAN Internet traffic (ASEAN Secretariat)
• ASEAN Incubator Network
• A facility to nurture net-preneurs and e-business
  start-ups
• ASEAN Training Network
• Provides training at all levels
• www.e-aseantf.org

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Internet Co-operation in the Region
ICAIS

• Background
• Historically a cost model was used which imposed
  the full cost of international links on Asian
  ISPs wishing to connect to the US
• Despite traffic becoming more symmetric between
  the US and Asia, this model is still being used
• As a result, US based ISPs are getting a free
  ride on trans-Pacific links even though the link
  may carry a significant amount of traffic that
  was initiated by US customers wanting access to
  Asian sites

Increase in operating costs for non US ISPs
Increase cost of Internet access and reduced
uptake
Worsening the Digital Divide
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International and regional responses
ICAIS

• APEC Principles on ICAIS
• Adopted at TELMIN 4 by APEC Telecom and IT
  Ministers in May 2000.
• ITU-T Recommendation D.50
• Initiated by the TAS Group in ITU-SG3.
  Introduced by the APT and adopted by the WTSA in
  October 2000
• World Information Technology and Services
  Alliance (WITSA)
• Recognised the importance of the ICAIS issue to
  the goal of achieving of universal access to the
  Internet at their General Assembly in June 2000.
• Meeting of Asian Carriers (MAC)
• Issued joint statement on Internet charging in
  January 2000
• The issue was raised again at their October 2000
  meeting. Members were urged to support efforts at
  intl organisations in which they are active.

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A way forward? ICAIS

• The need for a holistic approach
• Although there is international recognition of
  the ICAIS issue by governments, government and
  industry in the region must continue to work
  together in search of a solution
• Need to strike a balance between ensuring that
  the private sector continues to lead in the
  growth of the Internet, while ensuring that
  public aims are met
• Possible avenues forward
• Information exchange and dialogue through intl
  and regional organisations considering the issue
• Promotion of regional industry-to-industry
  discussions eg. ASEAN ISP Dialogue
• Result
• Improving the conditions under which our ISPs
  operate to the benefit of the development of our
  regional and the global information infrastructure

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Thank you