The government is to draft a 10-year plan aimed at transforming Singapore into Asia's premier information and communications technology (ICT) hub.
'Our vision is to transform Singapore into a dynamic and vibrant global ICT capital with a thriving and prosperous Net economy by 2010,' new communications and information technology minister Yeo Cheow Tong said yesterday.
Mr Yeo also announced plans to break-up Singapore Telecom's monopoly as the sole international Internet exchange.
Last October, the Telecommunications Authority of Singapore unveiled plans to liberalize licensing of Internet service providers.
The latest move means rival service providers will no longer have to connect with the Internet through Singapore Telecom.
'Asian service providers will have more means to interconnect via Singapore and this will encourage the development of an intra-Asian Internet network,' said authority spokesman Chia Sher Ling.
She said the authority's move to open up the market for international Internet exchange services in Singapore represented another step towards achieving the city state's goal of becoming an Internet hub and information society.
