SingTel Leads in Managed Hosting Services Market in Asia Pacific

[NewsDesk]

Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) will complete its roll out of regional data centers in Asia Pacific when it launches SingTel EXPAN, its suite of Managed Hosting Services (MHS) in Sydney, Australia next month. This will make SingTel the region's leading player in the MHS market with a total space of 380,000 square feet spread over 10 data centers in six countries.

The EXPAN network is the most extensive in Asia, comprising data centers located in Singapore (three), Hong Kong (two), Japan (two), Korea, Taiwan and Australia. These data centers are linked via SingTel's pan-Asian submarine cable systems, which include the C2C cable network. EXPAN is also available in other markets like China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand through marketing alliances with local partners.

EXPAN enables multinational corporations and those in Internet-related business in the Asia Pacific region to outsource the operations of their communications network, IT systems and web hosting needs to SingTel in an off-site data center. Demand for hosting services is expected to grow rapidly with estimates of as many as 70 per cent of multinationals in the region outsourcing either all or some of their IT and communications requirements to a third party by 2003.

Ms Mary Ong, SingTel's CEO of MHS, said: "The regional market for hosting services is worth about $604.1 million today, growing to about $1.37 billion by 2005. We have set ourselves a target of eight per cent market share or an annual revenue of about $110 million in three years' time." SingTel expects about two-thirds of this revenue to come from Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia.

In Singapore, more than 65 per cent of SingTel's 300,000 square feet of data center space has been leased. Customers include government departments, financial institutions such as Citibank and Visa, technology companies such as Microsoft and portals like Asiaone.com, Lycos and Global Sources.

"Our experience and expertise as a telecommunications company differentiate us from other players in the market," said Ms Ong. "SingTel has been helping multinationals manage their communications and co-location requirements since the early 1990s. Unlike other players, we do not see ourselves as just a provider of space. We have end-to-end capabilities to allow companies to outsource all their network and IT operations. This includes our ability to provide a full range of telco-grade services, easy access to bandwidth, and a comprehensive range of IT support services. Our customers can scale up their operations as and when needed. We are also the only Asia Pacific telco which can offer this service over multi-sites under a single contract and with a service level agreement."

SingTel has also leveraged the technology of the best players in the market to support the provision of services at its data centers, including leading IT vendors like BMC Software, Cisco Systems, EMC Corporation and Hewlett-Packard (HP). These partners bring with them knowledge of systems and processes in operating world-class data centers.

SingTel is the first in the region to partner with HP under the latter's Service Provider Program. Under this partnership, HP is committed to help build and operate data centers and transfer its skills and experience in managing data centers to SingTel. This includes the provision of training and joint marketing efforts.

SingTel's data centers have been certified by HP to meet stringent standards in provisioning and supporting managed IT services. SingTel's storage management operations have also been certified by EMC to have the capability to support customers' requirements ranging from online storage to offsite storage and backup services, including data recovery services to support business continuity. The EXPAN data centers are also in the process of obtaining BS7799 certification, an internationally recognized information security accreditation.

A showcase of EXPAN and other SingTel products and services will be exhibited at two US technology trade shows. SingTel will be participating at the Veritas Vision 2002 ( http://www.veritasvision.com/ ) in Dallas, TX, April 29 through May 1. Attendees are encouraged to stop by booth #438 and register for a free gift. SingTel EXPAN will also be exhibited at the NetWorld+Interop 2002 Las Vegas ( http://www.key3media.com/interop/lv2002/index.php ) May 6 through 9. Attendees can visit booth #6859 to learn more about EXPAN and register for a free gift.

About SingTel

SingTel is Asia's leading communications company with a comprehensive portfolio of services that include voice and data services over fixed, wireless and Internet platforms. Serving both the corporate and residential markets, SingTel is committed to bringing the best of global communications to its customers in the Asia Pacific and beyond.

SingTel has extensive interests in submarine cable and satellite systems, including its co-owned ST-1 satellite and the pan-Asian C2C cable network. Its infrastructure development strategy is to ensure that its networks remain modern and efficient, and continue to meet the needs of its customers.

The SingTel Group has expanded into overseas markets, with investments in many countries and territories. In Australia, its wholly-owned subsidiary, SingTel Optus is a leader in integrated communications -- serving more than five million customers. The Group's major investments include Advanced Info Service of Thailand, the Bharti Telecom Group of India, Globe Telecom of the Philippines and Telkomsel of Indonesia.

SingTel's turnover and net profit after tax (before extraordinary items) for the year ended 31 March 2001 were $2.71 billion and $1.27 billion respectively. More information can be found @ http://www.singtel.com/.

About SingTel USA

Established in the US since 1993, SingTel USA has established a global network to provide direct links from the USA to countries throughout Asia Pacific and Europe. About 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies are SingTel clients. SingTel also services a fast growing customer base of small to medium-sized enterprises. SingTel USA has offices in New York, Westport, Chicago, Houston, San Jose, Burlingame (San Francisco Bay Area), Santa Clara and Los Angeles. For more information about SingTel USA, please call 877-SINGTEL, email info@singtelusa.com, or visit www.singtelusa.com.