MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS

MR MAH BOW TAN Minister for Communications

Air Transport

We aim to maintain Changi Airport's reputation as the best airport in the world. The $200 million refurbishment programme for Terminal 1 will be completed by the later half of 1994. We are also adding two new piers to Terminal 2 at a cost of $350 million. One will be ready by end 1995 and the other by end 1996. These improvements will increase the capacity of Terminals 1 and 2 together to 35 million passengers, from the original designed capacity of 24 million. Concept design has also started for Terminal 3 which is expected to be needed by early next century.

Sea Transport

2. We will continue to develop Singapore port. By raising productivity and offering the best value-for-money services, we can stay the world's busiest port and one of the top container ports.

3. PSA plans to invest $4.3 billion in new facilities from now to 1998. It is developing a mega-port in Pasir Panjang to serve our needs into the 21st century. Reclamation for Phase I began in August 1993, and will be completed in 2000. This phase will involve the development of eight berths, costing $2 billion. The first five berths will be operational in 1998.

4. Brani Terminal is currently being expanded from the present six berths to nine berths. When this is completed in 1994, the terminal will be able to handle 4.8 million TEUs a year.

5. The container freight station at Nelson Road, Keppel Distripark, commenced operations in October 1993. It will boost Singapore's position as a regional cargo distribution centre.

Telecommunications

Maintaining Service Standards

6. As the regulatory authority, the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS) has established mandatory service standards and performance indicators to ensure that Singapore Telecom and Singapore Post continue to provide quality telecommunications and postal services at fair prices.

Developing the Telecommunications Industry

7. TAS will promote the development of a Telecommunications Technology Park in Singapore to provide a customised R&D test bed for telecommunications companies. The $65 million project is expected to be completed at the end of 1995.

Progressive Liberalisation Policy

8. TAS is progressively liberalising and deregulating the telecommunication and postal industries to promote greater competition and encourage new service providers to enter the industry, in order to lower prices and offer a wider range of products and services to consumers. It has removed the volume sensitive tariff on value-added network operators, and freed up the market for customer premises equipment.

9. TAS will introduce competition in cellular mobile telephone and radio paging services when Singapore Telecom_s (ST) exclusive rights in these areas expire on 31st March 1997.

Land Transport

10. We will keep our roads free-flowing so that people and goods can move about efficiently and smoothly. The implementation of Whole-Day Area Licensing Scheme from January 1994 will even out traffic flows into the Central Business District, and give all road users a smoother and easier ride throughout the day. We will introduce more usage control measures to limit traffic congestion, and thus enable more people to own cars. In the longer term, the Electronic Road Pricing System, to be implemented from 1997, will be a more responsive and effective way to control traffic flows.

11. We will continue to make commuter facilities and the public transport system more convenient, accessible and affordable to commuters. The $1.3 billion Woodlands MRT extension will be operational in early 1996. We will encourage bus operators to upgrade their buses and streamline their routes, to provide a comprehensive integrated network of public transport service together with the MRT.