By year-end, you will be able to dial a single SMS number to reach a range of new public e-services. The message format will also be standardised.
Revealed yesterday, the initiative comes under iGov2010, a $2-billion masterplan to develop an "integrated Government" over the next five years, primed not only to bring greater convenience but also to sharpen the national competitive edge. It could increase your options of getting in touch with a government body.
These agencies can choose to retain their existing SMS numbers, but all new e-services — the list is yet to be confirmed — will fall under an all-encompassing SMS number by the end of this year, Ms Wu Choy Peng, deputy chief executive (industry) and Government Chief Information Officer of the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA), said during a media briefing.
Other mobile services that the Government plans to roll out include Type and Go, an SMS alert-service to notify members of public about upcoming free business events organised by public agencies, an IDA spokeswoman told Today. A trial of Type and Go showed that an agency would potentially save at least 12.5 per cent of its organising costs by using such a notification service.
The move to introduce more mobile services is timely, said Ms Wu, as Singapore's mobile penetration rate in March hit 100.8 per cent, crossing 100 per cent for the first time. IDA statistics for that month showed there were 4.38 million mobile phone subscriptions, which surpasses the population size and implies that some Singaporeans carry more than one mobile device.
Making services mobile is also the next logical step, as some 1,600 or 98 per cent of public services are already online, thanks to the previous two e-Government masterplans each worth $1.5 billion and $1.3 billion over their respective three-year periods.
However not all Singaporeans are comfortable using e-services. The typical user is between 20 and 39 years old and holds a white-collar job, according to an annual e-Government survey conducted in March. Those aged 50 and above, usually in blue-collar jobs, remain resistant due to unfamiliarity with the Internet or a lack of computer access. To help this group, the next 12 months will see the sprouting of 20 more CitizenConnect Centres, housed in community clubs and staffed by People's Association personnel who offer free guidance on using e-services. There are currently five such centres, each receiving about 20 users daily.
Besides reaching out to the community, businesses can also expect a fillip from iGov2010.
The Government's efforts to standardise processes and systems across agencies will call for the private sector's participation.
"In many economic sectors where the public agency is either the regulator, dominant supplier or dominant consumer, what Government does internally can have significant impact on the entire sector," Ms Wu said.
Also, local enterprises engaged for their IT products and services can ride on the Singapore government's "recognised brand" to vie for contracts overseas. Ms Wu said this "export" of iGov solutions could find buyers in markets such as the Middle East, Indonesia, Vietnam, Eastern Europe and Africa, depending on the company's focus.
"The aim of e-Government extends beyond the mere provision of all our services online," Mr Raymond Lim, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Finance and Foreign Affairs, said at the masterplan's launch.
"iGov2010 is well positioned to strengthen Singapore's national competitive advantage, as well as its reputation as a centre of excellence and a global showcase for ideas, innovation and knowledge."
Autor/Author: Christie Loh
Quelle/Source: TODAYonline, 31.05.2006
