Internet Connections
Internet services were first made available to the public through an access provider in July 1994. This provider was Singapore Telecom's SingNet and is still the sole provider to this day. The Telecommunication Authority of Singapore is considering licensing the right to provide Internet access to a second provider. Today, there are approximately 60,000 Internet users in Singapore and that number is expected to continue to grow.(10) By the year 2000 is projected that 250,000 will have access to the Internet.
A survey conducted by Asia On Line showed that Singnet's rates are the second cheapest only to Hong Kong however they are still a great deal higher than American Internet providers.
These users can be found in all areas of the Singapore community including all 14 junior colleges and 24 secondary schools. By the end of 1995, there were expected to be fifty more primary and secondary schools connected. Not only are Singapore's educational institutions signing up for the Internet but the teachers, civil servants, and doctors are also attending classes and seminars on using the Internet.
Because of the growing popularity of the Internet, the government of Singapore has become concerned with the public having access to pornography and the openness of political debate with this electronic connection. Although these are major concerns of the government, it has decided that it can do little to regulate either of these issues. Instead, the government has focused on introducing new government-sponsored services in the Internet which will provide background information on the country. In May of 1995, the government announced that it would form an inter-ministry committee to deal specifically with Internet-related issues as they arise.
The widespread use of the Internet has resulted in many pages that are related to the country. For a more information, a complete guide to Internet related information on Singapore has been posted on the Internet.
Internet Hosts in Singapore
Today the three licensed Internet operators in Singapore are Pacific InterNet, SingNet, and Cyberway. FTP Servers in Singapore include SingNet FTP Archives, Technet FTP Archives, the National University of Singapore FTP Archives, the Nanyany Technological University FTP Archives, and the National Computer Board FTP Archives.
Singapore also has a Web Directory which lists all of Singapore's Web Servers. These can be broken down into various categories including academic, R&D, government and quasi-government, commercial and experimental, and miscellaneous. Currently, there are 57 web servers listed at this sight.
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