Budget 2022: Broadband infrastructure to be upgraded, additional S$200m for digital capabilities

SINGAPORE will upgrade its broadband infrastructure, with the view of increasing broadband access speeds by about 10 times over the next few years, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said on Friday (Feb 18).

The government will also invest in future technologies such as 6G, to tap the next communications and connectivity wave.

"The use cases for such high speeds are still nascent, but there are many new possibilities for augmented and virtual reality tools, limited only by our imagination," Wong said in Parliament.

Aside from infrastructure improvements, an additional S$200 million will be set aside over the next few years to boost schemes that build digital capabilities in businesses and workers.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority's Advanced Digital Solutions initiative was launched in 2020 to help businesses adopt advanced integrated solutions including robotics. From Apr 1, the scheme will be expanded to include solutions that leverage artificial intelligence and cloud technologies.

Participating enterprises will receive up to 70 per cent funding support.

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Another scheme, Grow Digital, will from Apr 1 include more pre-approved digital platforms that help companies access overseas markets digitally. The scheme has helped more than 2,500 businesses expand their reach to as many as 10 countries.

The TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA), which aims to develop a skilled information and communication technology workforce, will expand on several fronts.

These include partnering with industry leaders to grow product development teams, expanding TeSA to small and medium-sized enterprises and startups to provide more opportunities for mid-career workers, and upskilling the current workforce.