Telecom Lead Asia: Mobile service provider SingTel is
setting up four mobile technology innovation centers.
These new centers mark SingTel’s next push into the
digital content space currently dominated by world giants Google, Amazon and
Facebook. The centers are part of efforts to transform the largest telco in
South-east Asia into a technology provider.
According to Allen Lew, CEO of SingTel’s digital life
group, the centers will be funded by the company and potential software
partners which will also supply researchers.
The centers will focus on technologies such as data
analytics, behavioral science, location sensing and mobile
payment technology.
The applications developed by the innovation centers will
be commercialized and tested in the six Asia-Pacific markets which SingTel
operates in and will also be sold to other telcos and equipment makers
worldwide.
One of the facilities will be based in Singapore but the
location of the three global facilities has not been confirmed yet. The telco
has also put one of its most senior officers behind this greenfields project –
Allen Lew, who used to be chief executive officer of SingTel Singapore.
It’s a strategy which SingTel is banking on to secure its
survival in an era where revenue growth is tapering off in the traditional
voice and Internet access businesses.
Last month, Singapore Telecommunications announced that it will acquire U.S.-based Amobee, a provider
of mobile advertising solutions, for $321 million.
This will be the company’s first major acquisition since
2007. The acquisition is aimed at expanding into mobile advertising technology
and services.
editor@telecomlead.com
