Singapore (30 November 2010) – In support of the Singapore Government’s efforts to connect with the increasingly mobile and younger generation through mobile applications, Ecquaria Technologies Pte Ltd (www.ecquaria.com), leader in the provision of mission-critical government and enterprise infrastructure and solutions today announced the launch of a new Gov.sg app for Android phones and an improved Gov.sg app for the latest iPhone OS 4.
Today’s announcement follows the launch of the Singapore Government’s newly revamped www.gov.sg portal and its iPhone app in June this year. Ecquaria is the technology partner commissioned by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) to help launch the government’s landmark online and mobile communication initiatives.
The introduction of a government-centric Android app provides the public the convenience of accessing the latest news updates and electronic services on-the-go. www.gov.sg Android app is a direct response to the increasing popularity of Google's Android operating system that is fast overtaking the smartphone market share[i].
Said Dr Foong Wai Keong, President and CEO of Ecquaria Technologies, “We are seeing a worldwide trend of soaring sales of Android-powered smartphones. It is timely for the government to tap on the popularity of the Android platform to offer apps to as many different users as possible, especially soon after introducing our iPhone app earlier this year.”
With new Android based phones coming into the market, according to data collected by AndroLib, the Android Market has now reached a new milestone offering more than 100,000 applications with one billion app downloads - and counting[ii].
Rear Admiral (NS) SIM Gim Guan, Deputy Secretary (Information and Corporate Management) MICA attributes the increasing ubiquity and popularity of smartphones in the market to the excellent national broadband and mobile infrastructure which support 3G and Wi-Fi services.
“The government is moving in tandem with this development and the changing consumption pattern. This increasing mobile usage provides an opportunity for the government to extend its range of services to better reach out to the people,” RADM (NS) Sim said.
The Singapore Government is seeing encouraging results of its efforts to connect with the public through its enhanced online presence. According to a report by MICA, the www.gov.sg portal receives an average of 8.7 million views per month[iii] and garnered more than 14,000 Gov.sg iPhone app downloads (as at Oct 2010) since June this year. Within the first week of the launch itself, the Gov.sg iPhone app registered as the top three under News/Free application category (behind The Straits Times and Channel NewsAsia) on App Store.
“The Singapore Government is taking a leading role to connect the public which is increasingly young and mobile with the help of technology. As their technology partner, we are pleased to support the government’s progressive online efforts from developing its revamped first-stop www.gov.sg portal gateway to launching and enhancing its iPhone app and now its Android app,” Dr Foong added.
Android mobile users will now be able to download and access the latest government updates from www.gov.sg’s latest Android app available on the Android Market.
www.gov.sg was revamped and launched in June 2010 that gives the public access to a suite of services across all government agencies from a single platform. These include the latest government news and information, electronic services, calendar of events and directory of contact information. In addition, the www.gov.sg iPhone app was introduced to provide a more holistic online experience for mobile users. |
