TOH EE MING Today Online 31 May 16;
SINGAPORE — Sentosa is testing out a more eco-friendly way of providing free Wi-Fi — by tapping the power of the sun.
Currently, most Wireless@SG hot spots are located indoors, as it is more difficult and time-consuming to set up outdoor ones, such as having to dig up trenches to install fibre optic cables and power lines, and get approvals.
Such solar-powered services would be more environmentally friendly and save on costs, said the Infocomm Development Authority’s assistant chief executive Mr Khoong Hock Yun on Tuesday (May 31).
Slated to run till September next year, the new “green” Wireless@SG services will be accessible along Merlion Walk and will be overseen by IDA partners such as Aruba, M1, Sentosa Development Corporation and Skylab.
“If this pilot is successful, we could potentially expand Wireless@SG to reach more outdoor areas in a sustainable manner and bring public Wi-Fi coverage in Singapore to the next level,” said Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim.
Sentosa currently has more than 200 hot spots across various outdoor locations. It is one of the two main outdoor locations in Singapore with Wireless@SG, other than Gardens By The Bay, said the IDA.
Earlier this year, Minister of State (Communications and Information and Education) Janil Puthucheary had said the number of hot spots would be doubled to 20,000 across the island by 2018.
