| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : FEBRUARY 1, 1999 ISSUE | ||||||||
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| INTERNATIONAL -- ASIAN COVER STORY
Welcome to Internet Island (int'l edition) In the far reaches of Singapore's drab, low-income housing blocks, Jenny Fok decided to grow hibiscus flowers to brighten up her doorstep. So the 29-year-old school tutor took the elevator down to the computer room of the state-subsidized Kebun Baru Community Club. She logged on to one of eight brand-new Presario PCs donated by Compaq Computer Corp. and typed in ''hibiscus flowering process.'' Seconds later, she was sifting through hundreds of Internet sites at dizzying speeds on Singapore-ONE, a broadband network built by the government that allows Web-site access at speeds 35 times faster than the World Wide Web. Jenny Fok's simple search comes courtesy of Singapore's master cyberplan. The government has put more than $200 millIon into S-ONE, the key to Singapore's ''IT 2000'' grand visIon. The idea is to make Singapore an ''intelligent island,'' putting PCs in every home and classroom over the next several years. Thanks to its small size, the city-state already claims the world's most technologically advanced access to the Web. More than 12% of Singapore's 3 million people are now online through three Internet service providers. While providing broad access, the ISPs also block sites the government doesn't want citizens to see. The government aims to foster computer skills that will allow Singapore to retain its status as an entrepot--particularly as E-commerce becomes more important to regional trade. By 2004, the National Computer Board estimates Singapore's E-commerce will be worth $2.5 billion, 10 times that of 1998. ''We want everyone to be aware of the Net and what it can do,'' says Willy Foo, chairman of the S-ONE Club at Kebun Baru, one of 10 community centers across Singapore. TV ON THE PC. S-ONE offers high-resolution video images and stereo sound, accessible with the same ease as turning on a TV. It's possible, for example, for viewers who have missed a favorite Television Corporation of Singapore show to click on an icon and have it instantly broadcast to their computers. By attaching a video camera the size of a pencil sharpener, users can videoconference with a traditional Chinese medical practitioner, get a visual checkup, and receive a prescription. Users can also bank online. In just six months of operation, S-ONE has made formidable progress, attracting content from 150 local companies that are helped in part by government grants. Two state-controlled companies also are chipping in. Singapore Telecom installs high-speed ADSL modems in people's Pentium-driven home computers and charges $37 for 30 hours a month. Singapore Cable Vision installs a slower cable modem, and charges $22 a month for unlimited access but fewer entertainment options. Demand has been so strong that there's a long waiting list. Even though 98% of Singapore's phone lines are good enough to handle the ADSL, two-megabits-per-second modem, one in every home may not be necessary. Soon, subscribers who cannot afford a PC will be able to use S-ONE ID cards or even ATM bank cards to log on at street corners, where 20,000 pay-phone-like Internet-linked PC kiosks are being installed. The government hopes to lower the price of S-ONE as more subscribers sign on: User fees are now five times as much as a normal Internet connection. The government also hopes that increasing the number of business-to-business applications will bring costs down. Through S-ONE, buyers can already view products on videoconference, for example, by having salesmen hold them up for inspection. Tips on hibiscus growing, it seems, are just the beginning. By Michael Shari in Singapore _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP |
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