Ericsson, S'pore school tie up for Net diploma
The lab, situated within Temasek's Mobile & Wireless Technology, will be used by students opting to specialize in Mobile Computing--the latest of six options (or specializations) offered to second-year students in the course.
"The mobile Internet revolution is well on becoming an everyday thing," said Ericsson Singapore vice president for Enterprise Solutions Roger Wong. "The creation of this lab, together with Temasek, ensures that today's students will have an in-depth knowledge of the technology behind (it). This can only spur the development of widespread mobile Internet applications for the consumers."
The total value of Ericsson's investment in the initiative stands at S$1.7 million (US$0.92 million), Wong noted.
This includes Ericsson's Enterprise Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) gateway for research and development purposes, the transfer of its WAP technology and expertise, and the incorporation its WAP Application Developer Certification Program within the curriculum.
Temasek's contribution, meanwhile, is "over S$250,000 (US$162,660)," said Lim Wie Ming, section head of Temasek's Information Technology department.
According to him, student response to the two-week-old Mobile Computing option has been positive, with 81 out of the diploma's 280-odd students opting for it. Other specializations offered are for E-Commerce, Network Systems, Information Systems, Java Enterprise (said to be the most popular option to date) and Digital Multimedia.
When asked, Lim assured that the content of the coursework--on WAP Application Development, Mobile Application Development, Mobile Database Systems, Mobile-Commerce System and Development, Mobile & Wireless Networking and Mobile & Wireless Network Security & Management--was not vendor-specific, despite the lab being equipped by Ericsson.
"The (memorandum of agreement) is the first step we have taken with Ericsson...There will be other technologies (than WAP) that we hope to collaborate further with Ericsson in the future," added Temasek IT School director Tan Dek Yam.
On whether Ericsson would integrate its Mobile Internet Lab efforts with its existing Cyberlab research and development facility here, Wong said: "At this point in time, this collaboration will not extend to CyberLab. But we're not ruling it out for the future."
Ericsson also has a five-year-old Academy in Malaysia, which provides training for customers and employees in Asia Pacific.