SINGAPORE, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Thanks to the continued efforts in the last two decades, Singapore, a city-state with a population of over 4 million, has now become one of the most advanced e-Governments in the world, which is undergoing a third major wave of industrial revolution brought about by rapid progress in infocomm technologies (ICT) and globalization.

    Singapore's success in e-Government lies in its strong leadership and clear vision, which is to be a leading e-Government to serve the nation and the Singaporeans in a digital economy by leveraging on infocomm.

    The city state's e-Government journey started in 1980 with the launch of the Civil Service Computerization Program (CSCP) as part of the National Computerization Plan, which aimed to improve operational efficiencies in government departments and agencies.

    In 2000, the first e-Government Action Plan (eGAPI), which was developed as part of Infocomm 21, replaced the CSCP.

    The three-year plan, which consumed the government 1.5 billion Singapore dollars (about 974 million US dollars), mandated the public sector to create integrated electronic services to the citizens and echo their needs with feedback at an "Internet speed".

    To realize these goals, a high-level e-Government Policy Committee has been formed for the purposes of coordination and supervision, while the Ministry of Finance and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) have been contributing to

    financial and technical management respectively.

    Capitalizing on the strong foundation of the vision of the eGAPI, the 1.3-billion-Singapore dollar (about 844 million U.S. dollars) e-Government Action Plan II (eGAPII) was unveiled in July2003. The three-year plan aims to further spur the transformation of the public service into a Networked Government that delivers accessible, integrated and value-added e-services to both individuals and businesses who prefer online transactions, and helps bring citizens closer together.

    Time waits for no man, especially for a small country like Singapore, which, in fact, has no natural resources but human resources. In order to serve the public seamlessly and effectively, Singapore has continued its e-Government journey by unveiling several major plans.

    Riding on the achievements of eGAPII, a new 2-billion-Singapore-dollar (about 1.29 billion U.S dollars) masterplan, called iGov2010, has been mapped out to guide Singapore's latest direction in e-Government.

    The five-year plan, which was unveiled in May this year, comprises four strategic thrusts -- increasing reach and richness of e-services, increasing citizens' mindshare in e-engagement, enhancing capacity and synergy in government, and enhancing national competitive advantage.

    Under iGov2010, the Singapore Government will actively engage citizens in the policy-making process and further strengthen its relationship with citizens by leveraging on infocomm technologies. Information on government websites will be made more interesting, vibrant and easier to understand.

    To enhance national competitive advantage, the Singapore government will continue to facilitate the growth of the private sector through partnerships in innovative infocomm projects.

    With iGov2010, similar sectoral transformation projects will be implemented. To achieve this, the Singapore government will continue to play a major role in projects identified under iN2015,the country's sixth and latest Infocomm masterplan for the next 10years.

    The vision of iN2015, launched in June 2006, is to transform the island state into an intelligent nation and a global city powered by Infocomm by 2015.

    In December this year, the Singapore government also launched the wireless broadband program, Wireless@SG, which aims to extend broadband access beyond the homes, offices and schools, to public places.

    Under the Wireless@SG, which is part of iN2015, public areas in the city state will offer wireless connectivity from January 2007,and for starters, there will be three years of free surfing at speeds of up to 512 Kbps. In addition, the number of Wi-Fi hotspots will be progressively increased to some 5,000 from 900 now during this three-year program.

    Currently, about 1600, or more than 98 percent of all public services that can be delivered electronically, are available online, ranging from information publication to interactive, fully transactional services and integrated e-services.

    It is expected that by 2015, life in the city state will be greatly powered by Infocomm, and the Singapore government is striving hard to build an all-inclusive digital society where Infocomm is used as a powerful enabler for everyone, including the elderly, needy students and people with disabilities.

    There is no doubt that the e-Government journey will help sharpen Singapore's national competitive edge as it is transforming its investment-led economy into an innovation-fueled economy.