Operators prepare for Singapore's free Wi-Fi service

Construction of Singapore's planned free Wi-Fi service, called Wireless@SG, is now underway as the three operators chosen for the project prepare for the network to enter operation in early January.

ICell Network, the smallest of the three operators, has already installed some access points in eastern Singapore neighborhoods, including Siglap and Bedok, said Ken Chua, the company's chief executive officer, in a phone interview Thursday.

Eastern Singapore is the geographic area assigned to iCell by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), the government agency that is overseeing the Wireless@SG project. The other two operators, SingTel and QMax Communications, were awarded contracts to cover the northern and western areas of the country, respectively.

For its portion of the network, iCell expects to deploy around 1,000 access points, Chua said, noting about 25 percent of these will be in place by January 1, 2007, as required by the IDA. The company, which is using mesh networking equipment from Firetide, plans to expand its coverage over the coming year, he said.

The Wireless@SG project is among the largest deployments to date for Firetide, which was worked with iCell on other projects, said Mike Downes, Firetide's vice president of marketing communications.

In addition to iCell, other operators have also been preparing for the launch of Wireless@SG. Fixed and mobile service provider SingTel this month made its Wi-Fi service available for free and offered users the chance to sign up for Wireless@SG starting in December. SingTel's Wi-Fi service, which covers more than 300 hotspots in Singapore, including fast-food outlets and civic buildings, previously cost S$20.90 (US$13.40) per month for unlimited access with a S$10.50 sign-up fee.

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