Interest in S'pore digital media staying strong
update SINGAPORE--In spite of the economic downturn, the country's digital media industry is still keeping resilient, said Stephen Tan, CEO of Singapore Exhibition Services (SES).
As the imbX (Infocomm Media Business Exchange) 2009 conference will still see 1,928 exhibitors participating despite the economic climate, it is a testament to the industry interest in Singapore's digital media strengths, said Tan, speaking at a media briefing to announce the conference.
However, he did note that the number of exhibitors at this year's event being organized by SES, dropped 16 percent from last year's 2,300--inevitable, given the economic situation, he said.
But the numbers are "still credible", Tan maintained, citing IDC February figures projecting this year's combined telecom services market of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand will outgrow last year's by 10 percent, to reach US$35.7 billion.
"The market is here and it is real," said Tan.
Next-generation broadband services to take centerstage
Singapore's planned next-generation National Broadband Network will take the spotlight at the government's booth at the show this year, said the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA).
Tan Kiat How, assistant director, next generation infrastructure, IDA, said the NBN's fiber infrastructure is on track to meet the IDA's target of 60 percent coverage by 2010, and 95 percent of the country by 2012.
The NBN's operating company will provide wholesale broadband connectivity to downstream operators, and is expected to start offering commercial services by the first half of 2010.
To demonstrate the potential services that can be offered atop the NBN, the IDA booth will showcase media implementations such as interactive IPTV, high definition video conferencing and home telemedicine.
The NBN's bandwidth will also be demonstrated with cloud implementations on show, such as a thin client project which will allow large amounts of data to be stored offsite and pulled over the NBN's pipes, said Tan.
Ronnie Tay, IDA CEO said: "We are witnessing a broadband revolution where next-generation broadband networks are being developed to provide ultra-high speed connections spurring innovative services to businesses and consumers."
Scheduled to run from Jun. 15 to 19, the imbX conference is in its fifth year and comprises four concurrent shows: CommunicAsia, BroadcastAsia, EnterpriseIT and InteractiveDME.