INDIVIDUAL EMAIL ACCOUNTS FOR SINGAPOREANS

Column No : 672

INDIVIDUAL EMAIL ACCOUNTS FOR SINGAPOREANS: The following Question stood in the name of Mr Leong Horn Kee -

2. To ask the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts in view of the announcement made by the Government to provide ultra high-speed broadband and wireless Internet connections for the whole of Singapore, whether his Ministry will consider issuing in future an individual email account for every student, working adult and active Singaporean interested in Internet usage so as to facilitate the conveyance of school materials, business communications, Government information and notices among people.

Ms Indranee Rajah (Tanjong Pagar): Question No. 2, Sir.

The Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (Dr Lee Boon Yang): Mr Speaker, Sir, Singapore already has one of the highest Internet access and infocomm savvy population in the world. The Infocomm Development Authority's latest Annual Survey of Infocomm Usage in Households and by Individuals shows that 66% of households enjoy Internet access. Over three-quarters of companies made use of the Internet. Singaporeans are Internet-savvy and sophisticated in our Internet usage with 61% of Singapore 's resident population aged 15 years and above using the Internet regularly. Email is the top Internet application used. About 94% surveyed said that they used email. This means that a high percentage of our people already have an existing email account. Of these accounts, some may be personal paid accounts offered by access service providers such as SingNet or Pacific Internet, personal free accounts obtained from providers such as Google and Yahoo, or accounts issued by MINDEF, schools and their employers. In fact, many Singaporeans have more than one email account.

Does the Government need to compete against existing service providers in issuing and maintaining email accounts for every Singaporean? To do so, the Government will need to expend additional resources in hardware, software and manpower.

The case supporting the potential benefit from such free email accounts is not strong. From focus group discussions conducted by IDA, individuals have generally expressed their preference to use their existing personal email accounts rather than a new Government-issued email account. This could be because many people already have a problem managing multiple accounts for both personal use and their work.

Process-wise, we cannot assume that every Singaporean will diligently access the Government issued email accounts to maintain direct communications with the Government agencies, such as the IRAS or CPF. This means that the Government will still need to continue with its current efforts to communicate with Singaporeans through a variety of media and also private communication channels. Hence, while email communication may be instantaneous and technically efficient, in practice, taking such an approach may not significantly affect public communications between the Government and the people.

Nevertheless, Government will continue to evaluate the various ways through which we can communicate more effectively with Singaporeans, taking into consideration practicality, cost effectiveness and customers' usage patterns and preferences.

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong: Sir, a supplementary question for the Minister regarding the ultra high-speed broadband service. What is the estimated speed that we are looking at and at what cost? Also, will consumers be tied down with two to three years' contract with the service providers once the system is up, like what we are experiencing now? Consumers are all tied down? Are we expected to be tied down?

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mr Speaker, Sir, with regard to the next generation infocomm infrastructure, which the Prime Minister announced in his Budget Statement, I seek the Member's patience. As the Prime Minister has said, the details will be announced during the Committee of Supply.

On his other point about consumers being tied down to the various packages, I do not think that is an accurate reflection. Today, there are many different packages being offered by Internet service providers. The consumers have a wide range of choices. It is really up to them to choose a package that they feel is appropriate or suitable for their needs. Today, we have dial-up packages that go for as low as only $5.20 per month. And for broadband, we have packages that are as low as $19.90 per month, with limits to the data that can be accessed or downloaded. There are also daily plans going for as low as below $3 a day. In fact, the consumers do have a range of choices. Each comes with its own terms and conditions. So the Member cannot say that consumers are tied down. Having decided

to adopt a particular plan, you go along with the conditions that you have agreed to. But it is not as if all service providers (or ISPs) are providing only fixed plans, minimum three or five years. There is a whole range of options available to Internet users and it is really up to them to choose the plan that is most appropriate to their requirements and needs.

Mr Speaker: Last question for you, Mr Chia.

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong: Thank you, Sir. My experience and research tell me that that is not the case. We are all tied down, depending on the terms of contract for the services. If you do not accept the terms of contract by the service provider, you have to pay a very high price. That is why I terminated my Singnet account because they refused to give me a monthly contract but a minimum contract of one year, which I disagreed. So we are being tied down. That is something that I want to clarify with the Minister.

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member's personal experience does not nullify my point, which is that there is a whole range of service packages available. It is up to you to choose. If you want a daily package, some companies will offer you a daily package. If you want a monthly package, they will do so. If you want a monthly package for one year, two or three years, they will offer it to you. So it is up to you to decide which one you want.

Mr Speaker: End of Question time.