The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) announced that Singapore will be home to Asia's first neutral Peering Point for GRX (GPRS Roaming Exchange) providers. Supported by the GSM Association (GSMA), Singapore becomes the second GRX neutral Peering Point in the world. Singapore is positioned to become a key exchange point for GPRS roaming services and traffic in the region.
The IDA facilitated leading international GRX providers in coming together in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish Asia's neutral Peering Point in Singapore. GRX providers that have signed the MOU include Aicent Inc., Belgacom SA, Reach Global Services Ltd and Sonera. More are expected to come onboard.
IDA Assistant Chief Executive for Infocomm Development Khoong Hock Yun said, "We are pleased that our efforts are supported by the GSMA GRX Working Party. Singapore's position as a GRX hub will make the Republic a focal point in driving GPRS roaming services and traffic in Asia. The Peering Point will have the advantage of leveraging off Singapore's globally-linked telecom infrastructure."
The world's first neutral Peering Point is the GPRS Peering Amsterdam (GPA) located within the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX). It facilitates the relative ease and quick interconnection of GRX providers. This GRX community comprises GRX operators with a total global footprint covering more than 250 countries.
GSMA's GRX Working Party Chairman Rene Herlaar said, "The choice of Singapore as Asia's first neutral Peering Point is a landmark move in enhancing global GRX infrastructure. This is in line with the plans of the GRX Working Party to establish peering points in Asia and it enables the global mobile community to deliver GPRS roaming services in a timely and efficient manner."
Asia's first GRX Peering Point in Singapore capitalises on the Republic's liberalised telecommunications market. These include direct international connectivity to over 100 countries, high-speed submarine cable capacity of 21Tbps, high bandwidth and direct Internet connectivity to 30 key regional markets. Singapore also has a high mobile penetration of 78% and one of the world's highest SMS usage. Singapore's strategic geographical location at the crossroads of Asia was another key factor.
Traditionally, bilateral relationships between GPRS mobile operators have made global roaming possible. However, the growing number of operators globally has made this an increasingly expensive proposition. A GRX enables various GPRS mobile operators to interconnect their networks by connecting to a dedicated IP-based and secured network. For the mobile operator, this means achieving GPRS roaming with their partner networks simply and quickly by connecting to the GRX operator of their choice. It also facilitates a faster time-to-market for their GPRS roaming services. For mobile subscribers, it enables mobile GPRS roaming. They can access their home GPRS services while roaming abroad.
The birth of an Asian GRX Peering Point is aimed at handling anticipated growth of GPRS services and volumes around the world. The IDC report on mobile subscriber growth in the Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) estimates that the number of mobile subscribers will grow from 253.9 million in 2001 to 558.4 million by 2006. This represents a compounded annual growth of 17%. The peering point will allow GRX providers with Asian customers to offer better quality of data roaming services, reduced latency, enhanced security and cost savings.
