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It’s not uncommon these days to see people nursing their favourite lattes in a café while working out a proposal, finishing up homework or even sealing a deal with contracts submitted to the office with the clients electronic signature, coffee stain and all, with one click.
What’s even better is that these days, you can log on for work or play, just about anywhere in Singapore from fast food outlets to hospitals, shopping malls and even the parks. Better yet, the basic connection is free-of-charge.
It’s the all part of the 10-year infocomm masterplan, known as iN2015 or Intelligent Nation 2005. One of the bedrocks of the masterplan is the Next Generation Nation Incomm Infrastructure project.
It is hoped that the project will set the stage for a whole new digital world of possibilities and opportunities by 2015. One of the possibilities that has already taken root through the masterplan is the Wireless@SG network.
It is powered by the network of 3 wireless operators; iCell, Omax and SingTel, and offers a wireless broadband network at some 3,400 hotspots (and growing) around Singapore.
Those who sign up with any of the operators get to enjoy free, seamless, wireless, broadband access, both indoors and outdoors, with speeds up to 512kbps in most public areas. To date, more than 420,000 subscribers have been enjoying this always-on free connections to the Internet through hot spots spread across the island.
The targeted users have been broadly classified as “people on the move” – those who require wireless broadband access such as students, business travellers, real estate and insurance agents, individuals who have been making use of widely-available and wireless-enabled devices like notebook PCs and PDAs for email, instant messaging, web surfing and online gaming.
Connectivity offers untold opportunities to individuals as well as businesses to conduct their lives in radically different ways. And taking the always-on and always in touch initiative on step further through iN2015 is the Digital Concierge (DC).
This will allow everyone to enjoy the perks of having their own “personal concierge” at their fingertips, literally. The DC will offer through the anytime-anywhere Internet access that’s available, information and recommendations on where to go, where to eat and what to do.
This means people can get more out of their daily interactions and more from their devices. At the same time, businesses will have new opportunities to network and market their services to potential customers. When fully implemented next year, the Digital Concierge service will support the national Tourism 2015 goal of achieving 17 million in visitor arrivals and S$30 billion in tourism revenue.
What would life be like, if you could access anything, anytime, anywhere, and with any device? Why imagine. It can happen for you right now, all you need are the right connections. We'll tell who, how and what in our next feature. - CNA
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