S'pore starts OpCo pre-qualification

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) today started the pre-qualification exercise for the request-for-proposal (RFP) for the "operating company" (OpCo) of the country's next-generation national broadband network (NBN).

The OpCo will be responsible for managing the flow of traffic on the infrastructure layer of the NBN , and will offer wholesale broadband access to downstream retail service providers (RSP)--the companies that will sell broadband services to end users.

The pre-qualification application window will close on Mar. 17, with the regulator expecting to call for RFPs in the second quarter of this year.

This announcement follows the IDA's calling for RFPs for the "network company" (NetCo) last December, which will be responsible for designing, building and operating the network infrastructure.

According to the regulator, the NBN is expected to deliver speeds of 1Gbps and more, offering "pervasive ultra-high speed connectivity by 2015", though services are expected to be offered to the public from 2010.