David Legard

The free trade agreement signed between Singapore and the U.S. (USSFTA) in May 2003 came into force on Jan. 1, 2004, and provides opportunities and challenges for information and communications technology (ICT) suppliers in both countries, Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Investment (MTI) said last week.

The worldwide semiconductor market will grow 18 per cent in 2004 on strong growth in sales of mobile phones and PCs, according to research firm IDC.

The free trade agreement signed between Singapore and the U.S. (USSFTA) in May 2003 comes into force on Jan. 1, 2004, and provides opportunities and challenges for information and communications technology (ICT) suppliers in both countries, Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Investment (MTI) said recently.

Looking to improve their connectivity options in the wireless marketplace, PalmSource Inc. and Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) will jointly develop a software client that will enable RIM's BlackBerry handhelds to connect to the Palm OS.

The IT market in Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) will grow by 11 per cent in 2004 to US$88 billion, driven by strong growth in the region's two biggest developing economies, China and India, according to research firm International Data Corp.

Africa continues to lag behind all other areas of the world when it comes to the ability to benefit from information and communication technology (ICT) developments, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The Malaysian government is making renewed efforts to combat software piracy, spurred into action by the recent appearance of pirated copies of Microsoft Corp.'s Longhorn operating system on sale for under M$10 (US$3) in the south of the country.

The four fastest-developing countries in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) field over the past four years are all from Asia, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).