Minister Yaacob Ibrahim Announces Frontier Technology Focus Areas for Digital Economy

Minister for Communications and Information, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, made key announcements on frontier technology focus areas to support Singapore’s digital transformation this morning at Infocomm Media Business Exchange (imbX) 2017, Asia’s largest infocomm and media conference.

1)      5G mobile network and future communications infrastructure

IMDA will partner various industries to develop and fortify key infrastructures to fuel the digital economy. Improvements will be made to the Nationwide Broadband Network, Internet of Things (IoT) networks and 5G mobile networks that enable corporations to take advantage of high-speed and high-accuracy telecommunications to promote business.

2)      Immersive media through virtual reality

IMDA has worked with production company, Beach House Pictures, to pilot the use of virtual reality (VR) in Social Studies for five primary schools. Beach House Pictures also collaborated with local start-up Hiverlab to develop a customised VR classroom application for teachers to guide students on VR experiences around Singapore. In addition, IMDA and Tan Tock Seng Hospital will be collaborating with local tech and visual effects company, SideFX Studios, to use VR and mixed reality to augment clinical training.

3)      PlayMaker Programme clinches award

Complementing the focus areas, Minister Yaacob Ibrahim mentioned the PlayMaker Programme which serves as a platform to acquaint young children with technology through play. Using technology-enabled toys to elevate a child’s learning experience, the programme has been rolled out to 160 preschool centres and benefitted over 10,000 students. Moreover, the programme clinched a Bronze medal in IMS Global’s annual Learning Impact Awards, validating its influence on the future of the digital economy.