Page 25 - Implementing ITU-T International Standards to Shape Smart Sustainable Cities: The Case of Singapore

Implementing ITU-T International Standards to Shape Smart Sustainable Cities –
The Case of Singapore

3.1. ICT dimension

The first dimension of ITU SSC KPIs relates to the implementation of ICT infrastructure and how
that infrastructure is being used by a city’s inhabitants. Since the mission of the Smart Nation
initiative is to create an environment enabled by technology, where people can live a more
prosperous and fulfilled life, the power of information and communication technologies is
central to achieving Singapore's Smart Nation goals. ICT Infrastructure KPIs have been developed
to measure progress in the deployment and use of various ICT technologies that are the key to
a future smart sustainable city. Singapore has implemented a number of initiatives to increase
the quality, reach and use of ICT technologies across the city, and these are discussed in this
sub-section. These initiatives illustrate the leadership displayed by Singapore in implementing
ICTs and highlight how these can form the backbone of a Smart Sustainable City.

Singapore’s Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) (see Box 3) is the
wired network of the Next Generation National Infocomm Infrastructure (Next Gen NII). This
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project, under the Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015) master plan, seeks to transform Singapore
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into “an intelligent nation and global city, powered by infocomm.”
By offering pervasive, competitively priced broadband speeds of up to one Gigabit per second
(one Gbps) and beyond, as well as other benefits, Next Gen NBN enables users to enjoy a richer
broadband experience at prices comparable to Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) and
cable connections. Enterprises large and small will also benefit from the ease of access to
ultra-high-speed broadband, and they can use infocomm more extensively to boost their
productivity and competitiveness. More than 95 per cent of Singapore’s homes and businesses
are connected to the network. Approximately 1.1 million Next Gen NBN subscribers access
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fibre-based internet plans provided by more than 20 companies.
Several of the service providers have differentiated themselves by offering targeted plans to
meet the needs of specific user segments – such as “gamers” – by packaging their new
ultra-high-speed broadband services with value-added services such as interactive television
applications, cloud services and online learning resources. Others provide more attractive terms
such as shorter, or flexible, contract periods.

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www.iN2015.sg
15 Yang, 2006.

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IMDA Singapore, 2017.

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