OpenNet ups focus on biz fiber installations

SINGAPORE--OpenNet has agreed to ramp up efforts for installation of both residential and non-residential buildings. It will also partner service operators to boost fiber uptake among businesses.

In a statement on Tuesday, OpenNet, the network company (NetCo) in charge of laying the infrastructure for country's next-generation nationwide broadband network (NGNBN), said the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has completed the review of its Interconnection Offer and had issued specific directions regarding installaction capacity and service activation.

Of these directions, the NetCo said they are "in line" with its expectations and consistent with the increases in installation capacity it has been planning.

"OpenNet will increase the current installation capacity from 2,400 to 3,100 per week, effective August 2012. This increase in installation slots includes a dedicated 40 slots per day for the non-residential segment," it added. Previously, the NetCo did not specify the slots for the commercial segment.

Getting businesses onboard
OpenNet is also aiming to improve adoption rates among local organizations by rolling out a marketing program for retail service operators (RSPs).

The program includes an effort to leverage resources and relationships of these RSPs with the building management of non-residential buildings to secure access and fiber penetration into non-residential premises, it explained.

Local telco StarHub had been one of those calling for the NetCo be more flexible in its operations and increase its installation capacity for non-residential buildings. Kevin Lim, head of enterprise business group at StarHub, pointed out that RSPs are frequently encountering cases in which OpenNet had failed to meet its request-for-service (RFS) date and not provided replacement time slots, leaving both RSPs and customers in a limbo.

IDA's assistant chief executive, Khoong Hock Yun, also noted many market players are asking OpenNet to operate faster in this space as the profit margins are higher.

It is to address these challenges that the IDA had issued the directions mentioned above, and also shortened the service activation period for non-residential installations, according to an IDA memo on Tuesday.