New multi-year roadmap for telecom industry to secure Singapore’s connectivity infrastructure
26 February 2019
On 25 January 2019, Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information announced at the inaugural Infocomm Media Cybersecurity Conference that the Info-communications Media Development Authority (“IMDA”) will develop a multi-year roadmap to build the cybersecurity capabilities of Singapore’s telecommunication operators through the formation of the Telecom Cybersecurity Strategic Committee (“TCSC”). The TCSC is a platform for international cybersecurity experts and representatives from the government and Singapore’s telecommunication operators to identify cybersecurity threats to the sector with fast evolving technologies, as well as the capabilities needed to counter these threats, in the next five years. The first set of recommendations is expected to be published later in 2019 and the roadmap will identify areas for improvement in Singapore’s telecom cybersecurity capabilities and recommend strategies, policies and initiatives.
Other initiatives announced include the introduction of the electronic Know Your Customer Implementation Guide (“eKYC Guide”) which specifies IMDA’s regulatory requirements to help ensure the secured online verification and performance of eKYC solutions deployed by mobile operators. The eKYC Guide aims to make it more convenient for consumers to register for mobile services online in a trusted manner by enabling operators to digitally verify mobile services registrations securely without physical face-to-face transactions.
Reference materials
The following materials are available on the IMDA website www.imda.gov.sg and the MCI website www.mci.gov.sg:
- IMDA media release
- Opening address by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information at the opening of the Infocomm Media Cybersecurity Conference
- Annex A: Fact sheet - The Telecom Cybersecurity Strategic Committee
- Annex B: Fact sheet - eKYC Implementation Guide
- Annex C: Fact sheet - IoT Cyber Security Guide Public Consultation
- Annex D: Fact sheet - Quantum-Safe