The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is a statutory board of the Singapore government. Established on 1 December 1999, it aims to grow Singapore into a dynamic global infocomm hub and to leverage infocomm for Singapore’s economic and social development.
IDA plays four key roles in driving Singapore's transformation into an Intelligent Nation and a Global City through infocomm.
Infocomm Industry Development
IDA aims to build a vibrant infocomm ecosystem by attracting multinational corporations and innovative foreign companies to Singapore to complement local infocomm enterprises and start-up companies. It also seeks opportunities to grow the infocomm industry by facilitating the entry of Singapore infocomm companies into the global marketplace.
One of IDA's key responsibilities is creating a conducive, innovative, and competitive infocomm environment that is both proconsumer and pro-business. As the telecommunications regulator, IDA puts in place policies and regulatory frameworks to ensure free and fair competition in the telecoms market in Singapore so that consumers of infocomm products and services benefit from greater choices.
To support growth of the infocomm industry, IDA also partners the industry and Institutes of Higher Learning in initiatives to develop infocomm competencies in key economic sectors, develop globally competitive infocomm professionals as well as to attract and retain infocomm talent.
IDA also seeks to build a Next Generation National Infocomm Infrastructure to meet the needs of the government, businesses and people. The wired component of the infrastructure - the Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) - will deliver ultra-high broadband at speeds of up to 1Gbps and beyond, to all homes, offices and schools while the complementary wireless component - the Wireless Broadband Network - will offer pervasive connectivity on the move.
Government Chief Information Officer
As the Chief Information Officer for the Singapore Government, IDA is responsible for masterplanning, project-managing and implementing various infocomm systems and capabilities for the Government. It oversees IT standards, policies, guidelines and procedures for the Government, and manages the infocomm security of critical infocomm infrastructure.
IDA also works with other public agencies to increase the reach and richness of e-Government services. Today, about 1,600 public sector services are available online.
IDA is also driving efforts to make these services available on mobile platforms to enable users to transact with the Government while on
the move.
Sectoral TransformationThrough Infocomm
IDA promotes the adoption of infocomm technology as a key enabler to enhance Singapore's economic competitiveness. It works with both public and private organisations to spearhead the strategic use of infocomm in the various sectors such as education, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, tourism, transport, entertainment and finance.
People Sector Enrichment Through Infocomm
IDA is committed to bringing the benefits of infocomm technology to the population. Working with organisations in the people sector and the infocomm industry, IDA develops initiatives to encourage the less ICT savvy to enrich their lives through adopting infocomm and using infocomm in a more sophisticated way. This includes providing assistance to low income households, senior citizens and people with disabilities to acquire computers and get connected to the Internet.