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Singapore to Get New High-Speed Fiber Optic Infrastructure

By Alvin Soon - on 15 Jun 2010, 9:52am

Singapore to Get New High-Speed Fiber Optic Infrastructure

According to a report in the New York Times, Singapore could find itself wired up to a new fiber optic infrastructure by the end of 2012. The new lines could give residents a download speeds as fast as 100 megabits per second.

OpenNet, the infrastructure builder is owned by a consortium formed by Axia of Canada and three Singaporean companies — SingTel, Singapore Press Holdings and SP Telecommunications — using existing parts of SingTel’s network. As part of the agreement, SingTel has transferred its 30 percent stake to a separately managed asset company and will reduce its stake within five years.

The infrastructure operator, which received a grant of 750 million Singapore dollars from the government, is required to have the new network operating in Singapore by the end of 2012. So far, it has laid fiber optic connections to about 30 percent of all the buildings; it is aiming for 60 percent coverage by the end of this year.

 The report also reveals that broadband access is relatively expensive compared to other nations like Hong Kong.

Consumers now pay about 40 Singapore dollars per month for broadband access of six megabits per second, which is relatively high compared with Hong Kong, where some consumers pay about 200 Hong Kong dollars, or about 36 Singapore dollars, a month for service of one gigabit per second.

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