Singapore Gets Two Years of Free Wi-Fi

Filed in archive Wi-Fi on October 11, 2006

ZDNet Asia's Aaron Tan reports today that singapore will be offering free unlimited Wi-Fi access throughout the island nation from 2007 until 2009 at access speeds of up to 512 Kbps.

"Three local wireless operators -- iCell Network, QMax Communications and SingTel -- have been tasked to provide the new Wireless@SG service, which will be offered free of charge for two years from January 2007," Tan writes. "The trio will be investing about S$100 million (US$62.7 million) over the next two years to deploy Wireless@SG. Singapore's Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) said it is 'prepared to defray' up to S$30 million (US$18.8 million) of the setup cost."

For speeds beyond 512 Kbps, premium services will be available from the three operators for a fee. Those services will also include value adds like premium content, videoconferencing, VoIP, online gaming and location-based services.

The Bangkok Post says the result is expected to be a jump in the number of "on-the-go surfers" from 50,000 currently to 250,000 by 2009. And according to The Hindu, a digital divide component of the plan will subsidize computers for 10,000 needy households with school-going children, along with efforts to help the elderly and disabled use the Internet.