Regulator raps OpenNet over slow pace of NGNBN rollout

The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) in Singapore is intervening in a bid to speed up the pace of deployment of the country’s next generation nationwide broadband network (NGNBN). The Today newspaper writes that more than a year after rollout began, the IDA is stepping in to ramp up and improve how the firm tasked with the deployment, OpenNet, has been delivering its services. In the wake of a review started in December, the watchdog has highlighted a number of areas where OpenNet is failing – such as order quotas for business and homes, delays in installations in commercial buildings and gaps in service offerings. In one change, the IDA will look to amend OpenNet’s interconnection offer with the seven operating companies on the NGNBN – e.g. SingTel and StarHub.