Staying Connected
Information technology was a necessity for participants to stay connected globally, be it
through computer Internet access, or through the use of mobile phones. As the delegates
were from 184 different countries and different time‐zones, it was important to provide
connectivity at all times so that participants could communicate amongst themselves as
well as with their home countries. Besides basic network connectivity, the JS also
requested that delegates should be provided the means to send and receive internal
messages among themselves. The CI also looked into the option of providing wireless
access as a value‐added service for the delegates. The purpose was to provide seamless
connectivity to the Internet, anytime and anywhere in the vicinity of the meeting
venues. The Deputy Chief Executive of IDA and Director‐General (Telecoms) commented
in a media release:
Having a well‐connected and seamless Infocomm infrastructure in place is integral
for the operation of such a large scale international event.