skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Singapore’s Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) has awarded a S$1.7 million contract to enhance it e-filing system for companies. 
According to a release from ACRA the US$1.1 million investment will enhance ACRA’s BizFile System with more customer-centric features, as part of ACRA’s focus on providing excellent customer service. SCS initially designed and implemented BizFile, one of the world’s first online corporate registration and filing systems, for ACRA in 2002. In 2005, SCS productised BizFile for the international market, naming the system iBizFile. iBizFile was subsequently selected by the British Virgin Islands for their business registration needs in 2006. “ACRA constantly seeks to improve the BizFile experience for our users to facilitate a hassle-free environment to do business here in Singapore," said Juthika Ramanathan, Chief Executive, ACRA. "By enhancing the navigation and design of the new BizFile system and creating new workflow processes to help reduce operation costs, we at ACRA believe that SCS will deliver a quality, upgraded BizFile system to offer a user-friendly experience.” Under the new contract additional advanced portal features will be integrated with the existing platform. The enhanced BizFile will be more interactive and highly customer-centric, with a state-of-the-art look-and-feel. In addition, BizFile’s search capabilities will be boosted by an advanced search engine to facilitate online searches of eService transactions by the public.[source:Copyright © 2002 - 2006 Alphabet Media Pte Ltd.]
Administration envisages substantial cooperation with private sector to boost connectivity and mobility in the former British colony. 
The Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Communications and Technology), Rita Lau, has urged the local ICT industry to join with the Government to enhance Hong Kong's status as an advanced digital city. Addressing the opening ceremony of the Government Wi-Fi Programme 'GovWiFi', Lau said building an inclusive and knowledge-based society was one of the action areas identified in the draft 2007 Digital 21 Strategy - the blueprint for future development of ICT in Hong Kong. "We aim to enable citizens and businesses to realise the full potential of the information society, where everyone can create, access, use and share information and knowledge to unleash their potential and enhance their quality of life. "Through Government investment and market force, we will pursue the goal of building Hong Kong into a wireless city and make broadband connectivity including the wireless one available for every citizen," she said. Lau noted that to assist the industry in extending the coverage of the wireless network, the Government offered public facilities such as flyovers and lamp posts at a nominal rent for network operators to install wireless access points. Under the "GovWiFi", the Government will progressively provide Wi-Fi facilities at about 350 government premises for free use by the public in the next two years. Priority sites will be set up at premises frequented by members of the public by mid-2008, including libraries, public enquiry service centres, community halls/centres, parks and Government buildings. While the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) will oversee the programme, the Government will adopt an outsourcing approach on the installation of Wi-Fi facilities, provision of Wi-Fi services as well as their on-going operations. Lau said the Government had just issued the tender document for the provision of the Government Wi-Fi facilities. "Industry players can participate in this programme as contractors of the Wi-Fi programme. They could also explore new business opportunities by providing more wireless applications, mobile products and supporting services to the citizens," she said. Also officiating at today's ceremony were the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Thomas Chow, and the Government Chief Information Officer, Howard Dickson. Meanwhile, the OGCIO will organise a series of activities to raise public awareness of the programme. Roving exhibitions where visitors can try out the wireless facilities will be held at six government premises starting from today.[source:Copyright © 2002 - 2006 Alphabet Media Pte Ltd.]
Singapore and ITU collaborate on training programme in ICT policy and regulatory frameworks. 
Senior ICT policy makers and regulators from developing countries are in Singapore to attend a five-day executive programme on information and communication technology (ICT) development, entitled “Enabling Frameworks for ICT Development - The Singapore Experience”.
The programme, offered by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), will provide an opportunity for participants from Asia Pacific, Africa and Arab States to study and analyse Singapore’s model as a means to catalyse ICT progress in their own countries. The participating countries include Bhutan, Brunei, Kenya, Kiribati, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.
This follows an agreement reached between ITU and IDA in June 2007 to provide a training programme for senior ICT and telecom officials that would foster the development of ICT frameworks in their countries to enable fair, effective and sustainable competition in a multi-operator, multi-network environment.
The Executive Training Programme is one example of action taken to implement the ITU Regional Initiative on Telecommunication/ICT Policy and Regulatory Cooperation in the Asia Pacific Region, which was adopted by the 4th World Telecommunication Development Conference held in Doha, Qatar in 2006.
Participants will engage in an interactive learning experience led by practitioners from the IDA and featuring guest speakers from ITU and the ICT industry. They will learn about Singapore’s experience in ICT policy-making and regulating in a fully liberalised, multi-operator telecom sector. This includes covering topics like competition management, licensing frameworks, dispute resolution procedures and interconnection.
The five-day programme, the first of a series, will be conducted at Singapore’s e-Government Leadership Centre. The programme aims to train at least 30 participants annually over the next three years.
“We appreciate IDA’s response to ITU’s call for cooperation through this Executive Training Programme,” said Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau. “Singapore has one of the best regulatory models in the world, an experience which can be shared by other regulators. This is particularly relevant in developing countries, which are coping with a number of current policy and regulatory issues.”
Deputy Chief Executive and Director-General (Telecoms) of the IDA, Leong Keng Thai said, “Singapore embarked on its ICT development journey 25 years ago, and ICT has contributed greatly to Singapore becoming the confluence of business, culture and advanced infrastructure today. We are truly pleased for this successful collaboration with ITU that allows us to share the Singapore model with developing countries and facilitate their efforts in harnessing ICT for economic and social growth. We look forward to conducting more of such sessions.”
During their stay, participants will get first-hand experience with Singapore’s recent ICT initiatives, such as Wireless@SG.
Wireless@SG is the Singapore Government's wireless broadband programme that aims to extend broadband access to all public places. Since its launch in December 2006, the Wireless@SG network has 3400 hot spots spread across the island and 428,000 subscribers. It is part of the Next Generation National Infocomm Infrastructure that Singapore is building, which is expected to be completed by 2012 and will also comprise an ultra high-speed wired network.
[source:Copyright © 2002 - 2006 Alphabet Media Pte Ltd.]
