M1 equips first building with fiber under FRS

Singapore’s M1 has been selected as the Fibre Ready Scheme (FRS) partner for property developer Ascendas-Singbridge, and has completed the first commercial fiber upgrade installation under the deal.

The companies have equipped seven-storey integrated business park Ascent with fiber, making the Singapore Science Park facility the first FRS-enabled building.

M1 and Ascendas-Singbridge plan to install and enhance fiber infrastructure at 70 commercial deals by 2018 as part of the alliance.

“M1 was the first to launch commercial fiber broadband service in 2010, and we are pleased to build on that effort to partner Ascendas-Singbridge to install and upgrade the fiber infrastructure across its commercial buildings island-wide,” M1 chief corporate solutions and sales officer Willis Sim said.

“This will enable even more corporates to rapidly enjoy M1’s innovative, competitively priced, and highly effective business connectivity service and corporate solutions such as cyber security and unified communications.”

The FRS is an initiative of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) as part of an S$200 million fund to help owners of commercial buildings enhance the location’s telecoms infrastructure. It involves offering a one-time subsidy to defray the costs of an upgrade.

“With the addition of Ascendas-Singbridge’s 70 buildings, close to 200 buildings have applied for FRS to date,” IMDA assistant CEO Khoong Hock Yun said.

“We strongly encourage more commercial building developers and owners to leverage on the FRS to enhance and future-proof its buildings’ fiber infrastructure before the program and funding ends in March 2018.”

strongly encourage more commercial building developers and owners to leverage on the FRS to enhance and future-proof its buildings’ fibre infrastructure before the programme and funding ends in March 2018,”