The island city-state of Singapore is ready to take the world lead in broadband and, at the same time, provide the first nationwide 3D TV trial across multiple platforms. The new FTTH network is expected to move Singapore past its neighbors in Japan and South Korea which, until now, had been leading the world in providing blazing broadband speeds and innovative applications but had not blanketed their entire countries.
Helped with about $750 million in government seed money, Singapore companies are building a nationwide fiber optic network and preparing to offer broadband speeds of 100 Mbps to every citizen. The network is expected to reach 60 percent of the country's homes by the end of this year and every home by 2012 and, according to mixed reports, to drive competition that keeps prices low.
Some of the new broadband speed will be used for a 3D TV trial that will start with terrestrial TV, cable TV and IPTV in partnership with MediaCorp, Starhub and Singtel who will be testing their transmission signals across different platforms while tweaking out their technology.
Singapore's Media Development Authority (MDA) will spend $5 million to support the 3D TV trial as "a stepping stone to help these companies bring a commercially viable and superior media experience to Singaporeans," said Lui Tuck Yew, acting minister for information, communications and the arts.
The MDA also has plans to develop a prototype 16,000 square foot space known as Mediaoplis Phase Zero that will cater to the incubation of start-ups while also serving as a test bed for prototypes and new concepts in interactive digital media, film and broadcast.
For more:
- New York Times has this story
- see this Straits Times story
- and this news release
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