Singapore makes WiFi free, adds computer subsidies

Remember how Singapore was going to provide WiFi for most of the island nation? Well, it looks like they're taking that one step further by taking the S$100 million ($63 million) cost to the government, eating it, and giving free access (for the next two to three years) to the laptop-toting public. Further, the government will provide subsidies on computer purchases for low-income families -- according to The Straits Times, families that earn less than S$200 ($125) a month can purchase a computer for S$285 ($179). Why can't we get such forward-thinking policies over on this side of the Pacific?

[Via MuniWireless]

[Matt @ Oct 13th 2006 11:49AM]

Families that earn less than S$200 ($125) a month can purchase a computer for S$285 ($179). Why can't we get such forward-thinking policies over on this side of the Pacific?

Find me a family in the US that makes less than $125 a month and I'll guarantee you they qualify for much more than a one-time payment of $179, already.

[Jeremy L @ Oct 13th 2006 11:54AM]

"Why can't we get such forward-thinking policies over on this side of the Pacific?"

- Cause the money will basically be more espensive than paying for high speed monthly now. That's cause it'd come out of our taxes instead and I'd be paying for Pip's wifi service even if he doesn't have a laptop/computer.

[shadowhawk @ Jan 27th 2007 6:35AM]

first of all let me say I am rather irate right now and certainly do not know the language allowed or not allowed here so her goes the reason that those idea cant :-) be on this side of the pacific is because we(americans ) are always letting people screw us over and we wonder when we the "minorities" need financial or any other kind of assistance that we cant get it we are paying for and having all these other countries people like chinese, aisians, mexicans ect ect ect brought in the us and even paying for them to do our jobs for half the cost and cheaper faster, and definately a hell of alot crappyier craftsmanship for us. yet if we do what they are doing to get production up and ect then we get the pinks and get sent home with a docked paycheck and a free ticket to the unemployment lines. sorry if I have offended anyone as I did not do intentionally and appologize before hand for doing so. its just sooo bad to see our people (the Americans) getting ripped off so much and the ones ripping us off being protected by new laws.

[Nick @ Oct 13th 2006 11:52AM]

"Why can't we get such forward-thinking policies over on this side of the Pacific?"
-Because there are no semi-authoritaian city states on this side of the pacific.

[Derrick @ Oct 13th 2006 11:53AM]

Your number is incorrect. There are no family earning less than S$200 a month in Singapore. Singapore has a GDP (PPP) Per Capita of $29,900 (22nd).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore

[Dan H @ Oct 13th 2006 12:13PM]

that doesn't necessarily mean that no families earn less than $125/mth... the outliers could be extreme...

[loikll @ Oct 13th 2006 12:28PM]

" There are no family earning less than S$200 a month in Singapore. Singapore has a GDP (PPP) Per Capita of $29,900 (22nd)"

First, GDP-per-capita is not quite the same as average income or median income. Second, $29,900 based on purchasing power parity is NOT actually $29,900 -- for Singapore it is less US dollars; careful how you use PPP. Third, the average output per person obviously does not mean that *no one* makes less the $200. There are people in everyone country who make zero. It's an *average*.

[Jonathan Allen @ Oct 13th 2006 12:02PM]

I think moves like this are great. With Singapore's wifi and Libya contracting out the $100 laptops for all of it's school children hopefully more counties (like ours...) will pick up some of the slack and realize that it is really a benefit to it's citizens.

[Timothy think-tank @ Oct 13th 2006 12:08PM]

As with any policy in SG, there's always be a catch. Soon it will reveal itself coz afterall the Singapore Inc. is more interested in making money than giving it away even to its own citizen.

[pepe the king prawn @ Oct 13th 2006 12:11PM]

so the laptop costs about 1.5 month's of your household income. that would make my laptop cost about $10k. wow.

[Kenneth @ Oct 13th 2006 12:20PM]

I'm quite sure that only the unemployed or those with highly irregular jobs can earn less than $200 a month in Singapore. Even manual labourers earn upwards of $500-$1000 a month.

[loikll @ Oct 13th 2006 12:28PM]

*** Why can't we get such forward-thinking policies over on this side of the Pacific? ***

Because in this country more than most, the concept usually prevails that the person who uses a services and benefits from a service is the one who pays for the service. As opposed to the idea that someone who does not use a service and does not benefit from a service nevertheless be forced by threat of government coercion to pay for the service anyway. (That's especially great for old people.)

BTW, you're praising the enlightened regime that imprisons and whips people for spitting out gum, remember?

You could add that in many places here where one is likely to use a laptop, there already IS free WiFi provided by the business establishment anyway (ie, my company, my coffee shop hangout). That's certainly the case where I live.

[Keith @ Oct 13th 2006 12:55PM]

No everyone considers Socialism "forward thinking".

[David T @ Oct 13th 2006 12:59PM]

*the concept usually prevails that the person who uses a services and benefits from a service is the one who pays for the service. As opposed to the idea that someone who does not use a service and does not benefit from a service nevertheless be forced by threat of government coercion to pay for the service anyway.*

of course, the fact that tax rates are much lower in singapore than in most of the western world makes it even greater :p

*BTW, you're praising the enlightened regime that imprisons and whips people for spitting out gum, remember?*

you're fined for that, not imprisoned or whipped. just to set the record straight although you're obviously tongue in cheek.

-- as for the initiative itself, well i'm not singaporean but i do stay here now. although not the entire island is covered yet, the fact that i can connect to the internet at most shopping malls is really good. think wifi PDA + skype and you've got the idea, even if you only occassionally surf the 'net.

[mccarron @ Oct 13th 2006 1:25PM]

"BTW, you're praising the enlightened regime that imprisons and whips people for spitting out gum, remember?"

First of all, it was only a fine for chewing gum. Second of all if I remember correctly that law has been abolished. Thirdly, have you ever been to Singapore? It is by far the cleanest and most pleasant city you'll ever see.

And as far as people paying for what they get here in the U.S., do you remember what half of your tax money goes to? Defense. How many people still support the war that is using all those tax dollars? Not the majority, thats for sure. And certainly not the majority of poor people who pay the highest taxes. The people who benefit the most from that defense money are billionaire defense contractors who get major tax cuts.

I think this is a great move by the government of Singapore, semi-authoritarian as they may be. The internet has become the worlds greatest tool for education and the spread of information and ideas. It's good to see that someone cares about educating the poor.

[Chris @ Oct 13th 2006 1:48PM]

don't they make ipods there?

[Anthony Crum @ Oct 13th 2006 2:02PM]

"Not the majority, thats for sure. And certainly not the majority of poor people who pay the highest taxes."

Way to look at the facts. Current polling shows that more than 50% of the people do agree with the war. It's called protecting the nation. Second, the top 50% wage earners pay 97% of all taxes. The top 5% pay more than 54% and the TOP ONE PERCENT PAYS 37% OF ALL TAXES. Don't cry because you can't make capitalizm work for you. Check it out for yourself on the IRS website http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/04in34tr.xls

[Henry @ Oct 13th 2006 2:06PM]

Of course the government wants to do this and keep it out of private hands. It makes it easier for them to monitor Internet traffic of their citizens.

[Ypoknons @ Oct 13th 2006 2:10PM]

On it's own, free wi-fi is a good idea that benefits the people, regardless of what you think of the rest of the Singaporean government.

[softgun @ Oct 13th 2006 2:23PM]

Anthony Crum:

Funny, there's another poll that says: "by a 10-percentage point margin, more Americans think the country is losing the war on terrorism than think the U.S. is winning. In polling since 2001, this is the first time that a majority thinks the United States is not winning the fight against terrorists."

So....Iraq must not be the answer that everyone's banking on. Bush must not be doing the job - and hell, I'm a conservative.

That poll was conducted by Fox News.

[Anthony Crum @ Oct 13th 2006 3:12PM]

Yes I can spell "capitalism"

[dean cameron @ Oct 13th 2006 6:17PM]

"Why can't we get such forward-thinking policies over on this side of the Pacific?"

Because taking money from hardworking people to pay for things you think are good is wrong. Same applies for money for wars; so don't try to peg me as "one of them".

Do you want to sacrifice freedom for clean sidewalks, oppression and wifi? You do? Cool.

Run for office.

[fuuuuu @ Oct 13th 2006 8:11PM]

man you are a drama queen. singapore is no more oppressive than the US.

your logic denies the existence of ANY government. my taxes go to roads i don't drive on, schools I don't attend, libraries I don't visit, cops I don't call, medicare and medicaid I don't use.

Did you recently read Ayn Rand and think that gives you the right to pout and brood about how great you are and how no one has any right to what you have? Wake up sister, you are not alone in this world.

[Dach @ Oct 13th 2006 8:58PM]

It's also very easy to offer "nationwide" services when your nation is smaller than, for example, Orange County, CA. It would cost hundreds of billions of dollars for a single company or government to blanket our nation in Wifi. Just ask Cingular or Verizon.

[Gerald @ Oct 13th 2006 10:47PM]

Guys, I suggest that all of you come to Singapore and have a look yourself.

Stop saying unnecessary things about Singapore when you have not even been there in person.

Yes, it may be a "fine" city but seriously, I am very fortunate to live in Singapore and the government ROCKS.

It is so stable here, that you do NOT have any protests, riots, coups, fights(seldom) etc... and the list goes on and on.

Yes, Singapore is a very very small country with little (or none) natural resources, but it is very well off economically, socially and politically.

So, during your vacation, make it a point to visit us here, and your "perspective" of Singapore would change.

[Bakayaro @ Oct 13th 2006 11:11PM]

"It is so stable here, that you do NOT have any protests, riots, coups, fights(seldom) etc... and the list goes on and on."

Are you too scared of protests? There's nothing wrong with that. That's why they say Singapore people, government and economy are not mature enough to handle such things.

[Gerald @ Oct 13th 2006 11:35PM]

Sorry, I was not concise on what I said.

What I meant was, there are no violent riots here.
Sure, riots, protests, etc. is a good way for people to express their views and dissatisfaction.

But what if it turns into something worse, where violence is used? Surely no government would want its own citizens to get hurt or for there to be any bloodshed amongst its own people.

Furthermore, Singapore, being a multiracial society, must have a peaceful situation so that there would not be any conflicts.

Do you mean to say that riots (violent ones) are good, and people should not be �scared� of hurting themselves in one?

Also, you said: "That's why they say Singapore people, government and economy are not mature enough to handle such things."

Did you just say that the Singapore economy is not mature?

Wow, you just made a huge flaw in your reply.
Singapore is a WORLD CLASS business and financial hub and it is the 2nd easiest place to start a business.
Look here: http://sgentrepreneurs.com/contributors-corner/2006/08/01/singapore-easiest-place-business/

Please do not make unjustified statements as it would make you seem as one who dishes out false facts without thinking twice.

[bliz @ Oct 14th 2006 2:10AM]

@YoGi:
Just because you do not personally know of any family that earns less than 125/mth does not mean that it does not exist.
Singapore Maths is not all that great. Granted we do top the charts of those UNSW high school and below tests, but being in the system I feel that there's too much rote learning and little creativity allowed. Will we ever produce a Fields Medal?

[YoGi @ Oct 14th 2006 1:16PM]

Hey Bliz,

Probably. Granted that the foreign workers doing manual labour are on a meagre pay, they are already in the lowest rung of the social ladder. However, they are getting more than 125. I believe that figure was misquoted.

And of course, the SG maths isn't great, neither is any country's maths (or academics) far more superior. My point was that it isn't tat bad an achievement for a country with only 4.5 million brains to spare.

I just did not know what's the deal about country bashing? I thought it's good to know how the rest of the world is progressing.

[Becks @ Oct 14th 2006 12:49PM]

Gerald: I totally agree with you,well reason for this Singapore bashing by these pple is because they are jealous! The US maybe considered as a yardstick on how the world is suppose to be (1st world, 3rd world etc.), they can't even solve the problems in their own country, with police departments not wanting to respond to emergency calls because their budget is cut to increasing tution fees for college for the benefit of building more prisons! No sense of system, its all about corruption in the US, only thoughts of lining their own pockets with cash, so don't waste time explaining to them how great Sinagpore, they will never get .. no wait they DONT want to get it coz they know it them self that they will always be in dire state even thought they are ahemm .. "Big Brother" .. all that patrotic star spangled banner that they sing @ every sporting event is just a darn joke of their very existance ... sad americans .. boo hooo ..

[YoGi @ Oct 14th 2006 1:00PM]

Come on Californians! Give it some credit.

1. I do not know of any families earning less than 125/mth.
2. U dun get whipped for chewing gum.
3. U are talking about an island sitting on granite that is devoid of natural resources. Even raw water has to be bought to be treated before it is dispensed to the public. Its progress is spectacular relative to its inherent disadv.
4. IT is essential in the public's everyday lives: GPS for booking taxis, mobiles for buying movie tixs, mobile for buying food frm vending m/c, video conf for real-time lectures, lecturers sending out urgent msgs to a class of 500 thru the mobiles, mobile TV etc. Wi-Fi will further strengthen the leverage on IT.
4. U dun get homeless on the streets.
5. U get kids in the US studying Singapore Maths.
6. A unique system needs to exist in different country. :)

[bliz @ Oct 14th 2006 1:45PM]

Yup...actually i also think that the figure could be grossly misquoted, but anyway that's besides the point.

That aside, I do look forward to the wireless service...I just hope that it will not be wimax...

Cheers :)

[Gerald @ Oct 14th 2006 3:09PM]

Quoted: Becks

Hi, I do not mean to condemn or put down anyone just that I feel that you guys should really come down here in Singapore to have a feel, look, see what it is like and how awesome it is here.

I think WiMax may, tentatively come here soon as some companies have already done something about it but I cannot vaguely recall what it is.

Cheers
Gerald
Singapore

[Becks @ Oct 16th 2006 3:12PM]

Singapore Rocks!!!
Woooo!!!

[chalk @ Jan 17th 2007 8:00PM]

Okay, enough with the country comparisons already! Different circumstances and history have allowed different countries to evolve to this day and obviously we are proud of our own countries (well some might take it the other way.)

Anyway, I wanted to comment that this free wireless service rolled out by the Singapore Government might also be a prelude to rumoured WiMAX plans. It might be a system in place to judge the viability of a island blanket wireless system set to be in place somewhere in 2010, to enable users with highspeed broadband internet connections. Afterall, Singaporeans don't really carry their peripherals around unlike the Koreans do.

In anycase, besides the free wireless internet (which is about the speed of 512 kbps i think?) you guys should check out the recent 100mbps connection rolled out by StarHub (Singapore ISP). That is wayyyyyyy coooool. (but who needs such a fast speed anyway? But its cheap! Just 40 pounds a month. LOL )

[Ching @ Jan 22nd 2007 12:01PM]

BTW, the income threshold to qualify for the PC subsidy is actually S$2000 per family... not S$200 :)

See the NEU PC Programme web page for the fact sheet:
http://www.ida.gov.sg/Programmes/20060419155649.aspx?getPagetype=34

[rob @ Feb 1st 2007 9:31PM]

Very interesting thread. Here's my 2 cents. I'm an American. Lived in Singapore for 2 years from 2000-2002. I love America. I also loved living in Singapore. To all people bashing Singapore without ever being there, get a life. Unless you are a drug dealer or into some serious illegal activities (that would ALSO be illegal in the USA), you do not notice any of the so-called "oppression" sensationalized by the media and ignorant people who have never stepped foot in Singapore and probably couldn't point it out on a map. Also, I never caught any "heat" for chewing gum during my 2 years in Singapore, even right in front of SG cops. I just couldn't buy an gum while I was there. And anyway, would anyone shed a tear if the US gov't decided to ban all chewing gum in the US? ha ha. didn't think so. btw, I may be wrong on this, but the chewing gum ban was a litter-related law. Too many people sticking chewing gum all over the place... When you think about it, the law isn't that illogical (and the law may have changed since I've been there).

I recommend everyone live there for at least a year during their lifetime. Great place. Great food. Great people. Great proximity to other really cool cities.

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