|
Executive SummaryBrunei, as small but wealthy nation in South East Asia, has moved quickly to assure itself of up to date telecommunications services. With some encouragement from the government, the population of Brunei seems committed to being a strong consumer of telecommunications services. Despite the strong consumer sentiment, if the country is to meet market expectations, it must look to further restructuring and generally liberalising its telecom industry. Whilst the industry has been reasonably progressive, it seems to have lost momentum recently and, with much more reform needed, that is not a good sign. The local market continues to be dominated by Jabatan Telekom Brunei (JTB), the incumbent telco that is still a division within the Ministry of Communications.Singapore is continuing to maintain its status as a world leader in telecommunications. One of the first countries in the world to have a fully digital telephone network, it has built and continues to develop its high quality infrastructure. Over 98% of homes have fixed-line telephone connections and about 20% of the population have two telephones at home.At the same time, it prides itself on a progressive telecommunications regulatory environment. Through governments strategic intervention in the development of the telecoms sector, it has ensured the emergence of a highly competitive market; all restrictions on direct and indirect foreign ownership within the countrys telecom sector have been lifted.Although incumbent Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) continues to play a major role in the Singapore telecom sector, liberalisation has seen a host of new operators entering the market, helping exploit the competitive situation. In fact, in the lead up to liberalisation, the government had issued five facilities-based and 29 service-based licences. Interestingly, with strong competition in its domestic market, SingTel took the decision to expand offshore and has now successfully established a considerable presence in regional markets.Singapore was the first country in the world to deploy Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) commercially when SingTel launched its Magix service in November 1997. It came as some surprise, therefore, when Singapore initially moved slowly on the large-scale adoption of broadband Internet access. Following a major effort to expand its broadband services, however, the country is now a serious player, with more than 60% of Internet households having broadband access by early 2005. It is well positioned for the development and adoption of triple play and Next Generation (NGN) services. |