|
SINGAPORE : The deadline for proposals to be the operating company of Singapore's Next Generation Broadband Network closes this Friday, and analysts' opinions are mixed as to whether the bids will come in the form of consortiums or single players.
The network is part of the government's plan to bring seamless connectivity to Singapore.
The Next Generation National Broadband Network is part of the government's Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015) blueprint.
Industry players said the network will improve productivity and quality of living in Singapore.
Online medical help and world-class e-learning services are just a few of the things consumers can expect when the Next Generation National Broadband is up and running in 2015.
But before that, the Infocomm Development Authority needs to decide on an operating company (OpCo) to manage flows of broadband traffic for the network.
The deadline for submissions to be the OpCo is this Friday.
The OpenNet consortium was earlier selected as the Network Company to design and build the infrastructure.
SingTel, which is part of the OpenNet consortium, is also expected to bid for the OpCo. Fellow telcos M1 and StarHub have also pre-qualified for the bid.
Some analysts believe they will team up with other partners.
When bidding for the network company, many of the players signed up as consortiums.
In the run up to the decision of the bid, there were two main contenders - SingTel joined hands with Axia NetMedia, Singapore Press Holdings and SP Telecommunications to form the winning OpenNet consortium, while rival telcos M1 and StarHub teamed up as part of the Infinity consortium.
C W Cheung, consulting director, Asia Pacific, OVUM Consulting, said: "Because (the) NGN (next Generation Network) is a multi-disciplinary engineering work, I think a consortium is good.
"First of all, it can get the best of different consortium members, and (secondly, it) is very important to spread the risk among different players. Because frankly speaking, there are very different risks here, (so) I do think it will be a multi-player consortium."
However, others feel that it is more likely to be a one-man show.
Kenneth Liew, analyst, IDC, said; "It is unlikely to actually have any consortium because the winning consortium can keep its business and continue to run the retail portion, so there is no point in sharing it as a consortium."
Regardless of who wins, observers said the new network will definitely change the lives of Singaporeans.
Sharat Sinha, director, Service Provider Business, Cisco, said: "I think it will significantly transform the way they work, play, live and learn, in the sense that, fundamentally, the benefits that a citizen gets... will be transformed... because you can get advantages like tele-medicine and quick consulting from doctors immediately.
"For people... (at) work, it will create significant work-life balance, if they have (a) good broadband infrastructure connected to the enterprise space that works in normal and crisis situations, so people can work from home."
Results of the OpCo bid are due to be released in the first quarter of 2009. - CNA/ms
|
|
|
