30 March 2023

On 28 February 2023, the Ministry of Communications and Information (“MCI”) announced the development of the Digital Enterprise Blueprint and the Digital Connectivity Blueprint. MCI will launch the two Blueprints later in 2023.

Set out below is a summary of the key points.

Digital Enterprise Blueprint

Later in 2023, MCI will launch the Digital Enterprise Blueprint, a comprehensive roadmap that builds on MCI’s ongoing efforts to drive digitalisation across the economy. In the process, MCI will be consulting industry leaders, trade associations, and companies across different sectors which have worked closely with the MCI-family in developing upcoming initiatives. Some of these initiatives include:

  • Developing and scaling the adoption of Digital Utilities, which are foundational digital services to enable firms’ access to the Digital Economy, such as Corppass, InvoiceNow and PayNow. 
  • Addressing sector-specific opportunities and challenges, as well as to ensure that the 20 Industry Digital Plans (“IDPs”) continue to remain relevant to the needs of small to medium sized enterprises (“SMEs”). The Info-communications Media Development Authority (“IMDA”) will work with sector lead agencies to progressively refresh the IDPs to guide firms on digital solutions and corresponding training programmes to adopt, based on sector and growth stage. Refreshed IDPs for the retail and security sectors, and a new IDP for the legal sector based on the refreshed IDP framework, will be launched in 2023.
  • Continuing to raise SMEs’ digital maturity by extending the Advanced Digital Solutions scheme (ADS), which was launched in 2020.
  • Launching a scheme to provide subsidised cybersecurity consultancy services and tailored cybersecurity health plans to help SMEs work towards national cybersecurity certification. Cybersecurity consultants will take on the role of the SMEs’ “Chief Information Security Officers” (CISO), akin to providing a Chief Information Security Officers-as-a-Service (CISOaaS) to SMEs. This initiative will be made available through the existing Chief Technology Officer-as-a-Service (CTOaaS) platform.

Digital Connectivity Blueprint 

MCI is developing a Digital Connectivity Blueprint to outline the way forward for Singapore’s connectivity infrastructure. This includes Singapore’s broadband, mobile, and WiFi networks that provide domestic connectivity, as well as subsea cables that provide international connectivity. The Blueprint will also identify synergies with other digital infrastructure components that complement this connectivity layer, like data centres and digital utilities.

To support and advise on the Digital Connectivity Blueprint, MCI has formed an Advisory Panel on Digital Infrastructure comprising business and industry leaders. The Panel will be co-chaired by Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Dr Janil Puthucheary, and Executive Vice President of Global Operations at Western Digital Irving Tan.

MCI will seek the panel’s insights on:

  • Plans to develop Singapore’s digital infrastructure, including from the angles of business and technical viability and international competitiveness.
  • Global and domestic trends and developments that could affect future business and consumer demand for digital infrastructure, and could hence factor into plans for infrastructure and use case development.

Reference materials

Further information is set out in the press releases about these developments and MCI’s Committee of Supply Debate speeches which are available on the MCI website www.mci.gov.sg:

About Digital Enterprise Blueprint

About Digital Connectivity Blueprint 

MCI’s Committee of Supply Debate speeches