As a statutory board in the Singapore government, it seeks to deepen regulatory capabilities for a converged infocomm media sector, safeguarding the interests of consumers and fostering pro-enterprise regulations.

With more pervasive use of data, IMDA will also continue to promote and regulate data protection in Singapore through the Personal Data Protection Commission, which will be part of the IMDA. This will ensure that public confidence in the private sector’s use of personal data is safeguarded.

1. Developing the ecosystem:

IMDA aims to build a competitive and sustainable infocomm media industry, developing Singapore as a nucleus for media content, services and applications, while growing the seed of technological innovation and fostering collaboration between local and multinational corporations in the sectors.

IMDA strives to create an environment for Singapore to develop quality content, exploit opportunities in digital media and move up the value chain. Already, Singapore’s broadcast, film, publishing, animation and interactive media and games have been recognised worldwide for their ground-breaking originality and high quality.

It is also IMDA’s goal to foster an ecosystem where local infocomm companies and startups can work alongside the world’s top MNCs and innovative foreign firms to develop the “next big thing” for the industry.

Over the years, Singapore has laid the foundation for a thriving ecosystem with its infrastructure of high-speed fibre optic network and extensive wireless links. As the regulator of the telecom industry, IMDA continues to promote a competitive market, while encouraging innovation that brings benefits to companies and consumers.

In terms of infocomm manpower, IMDA works with the industry and educational institutions to prepare the current and future workforce for an economy and society enabled by infocomm. This involves grooming globally competitive infocomm professionals, developing infocomm competencies in key economic sectors, and nurturing infocomm talent from schools to join the industry.

2. Enabling businesses:

IMDA promotes the adoption of infocomm technology as a key enabler to enhance Singapore’s economic competitiveness. It works with private organisations to spearhead the strategic use of infocomm in the various sectors such as education, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, tourism, transport, entertainment and finance.

In the media field, IMDA provides various grants and schemes to assist new media talent and startups create their own intellectual property and nurture talents for the future. This aims to build up a self-sustaining and vibrant sector.

3. Empowering society:

The IMDA works closely with the public by tapping on the expertise and perspectives of a wide spectrum of society. Going beyond consultation, IMDA’s efforts at fostering a cohesive and inclusive society include supporting Public Service Broadcast programmes that connect, inform and entertain the public.

At the same time, IMDA seeks to build a digitally inclusive society where lives are enriched by infocomm. It works with industry partners and associations to encourage all segments of society to adopt and use infocomm in a more sophisticated way. This includes providing assistance to help low-income households, senior citizens and people with disabilities to acquire computers and get connected to the Internet.