SingTel on the 3G workplace

14.03.2005
Von Louis Chua

Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (SingTel) gave a hint of what is in store for corporate customers at the commercial launch of its 3G network recently.

Through the use of its 3G network, SingTel promises to extend the reach of the workplace, allowing access to office applications for mobile workers. For example, a private banker can be allowed access to the full range of financial information from a laptop with a 3G modem.

3G corporate applications will be developed based on specific customers" needs, said Lim Chuan Poh, executive vice president Consumer Business and chief executive officer of SingTel Mobile. He added that SingTel will be exploring development of generic applications based on their experiences working directly with their corporate customers.

According to Cheong Hui Weng, SingTel"s vice president of Consumer Products, SingTel will also work with the applications services providers to port applications over to 3G devices for the small and medium enterprise (SME) space. The 3G devices can work like they are on a wireless LAN providing application content to end users. This would be compelling for the SME market, he said.

As to whether the growth of 3G will cannibalise SingTel"s existing GPRS revenues, Lim said he believes GPRS will remain as a complementary technology to 3G.

With 3G, users will be able to download at speeds up to 384kbps, which is up to nine times faster than current GPRS speed. SingTel will also retail 3G data charges at 30 per cent lower than the current retail GPRS charges. However, as many foreign executives do not yet have 3G support in their countries, he believes that 3G will not cannibalise the core GPRS market.

Other 3G applications that SingTel is exploring include mobile point-of-sale (POS) with which retailers can quickly set up a POS terminal during warehouse sales or events at exhibition halls, for example.

With the island-wide coverage, surveillance using cameras hooked onto the 3G network will also allow cameras to be placed indoors and outdoors where coverage is present, as well as on moving vehicles or objects. This could potentially be used to monitor cargo space, on-site services and repair.

According to Axis Communications, a provider of surveillance cameras, they have already tested this possibility with telco operators in this region, although they are not working with SingTel at the moment. "This is already possible in Europe," said Lawrence de Guzman, PR & marketing director. "There is definitely a potential of combining 3G with surveillance cameras."