ASIA COMING SOON Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) estimated last week that tracking all vehicles with GPS could increase road capacity by 20,000 over the next few years.
The densely populated island nation is switching from so-called Electric Road Pricing (ERP) 1.0 to ERP 2.0. The first version used portals – or automatic toll booths – to charge drivers via a device in the car for using certain roads at certain times.
With ERP 2.0, the vehicle is instead tracked via GPS, which makes it possible to determine where a vehicle is at any time of operation.
“ERP 2.0 will provide more comprehensive aggregated traffic information and can do without physical portals. We will be able to introduce new 'virtual portals' that will enable more flexible and responsive congestion management,” the LTA said.
However, the island's government not only controls the flow into urban areas through toll-like fees, but also aggressively controls the total number of cars traveling within its borders.
In Singapore, vehicle owners must bid for a certain number of entitlement certificates – costly operating licenses that are valid for just ten years. The result is an increase of about 100,000 Singapore dollars (US$75,500) every ten years, depending on the COE price of that year, on top of the usual price of a car. The high overall price discourages mass car ownership, which helps the government control traffic and emissions.
Singapore is anticipating ERP 2.0, a plan for a one-day fee based on distance rather than per portal entry, improvements in mass transit connections and “changing” traffic patterns triggered by an increase in flexible working arrangements of 20,000 cars can handle.
It plans to start expanding the allocation of COEs in February next year, which is expected to result in a price reduction.
Singapore's grave is back in the office for five full days
While Singapore's LTA may be confident that flexible work arrangements are here to stay, the country's Uber-like super app Grab has other plans.
The company reportedly told employees that they would return to the office five days a week starting December 2 or face disciplinary action.
The country's government published guidelines last April [PDF] to support flexible working arrangements. It states that any denials of such requests should only be supported by reasonable business reasons.
CEO Anthony Tan told employees in an email that “increased face-to-face collaboration will accelerate progress and improve integration.” [Grab’s] Ecosystem and business units.”
China Unicom auctioned off old cables
The Chinese telecommunications group China Unicom auctioned off over 1,200,000 kilometers of old cable from 18 provinces and cities last week.
The cables are considered obsolete government assets and bidding started at 213.15 million yen ($30 million) on e-commerce giant Alibaba's auction platform.
This is not the first time that the telecommunications company has sold its assets. In 2018, 1,000 cell phones were sold in damaged boxes in an auction attended by nearly 2,000 people.
Jio Payment gets approval for an online payment aggregator
The Reserve Bank of India granted approval to Reliance Jio's digital financial services spinoff – Jio Payment – to function as an online payments aggregator with effect from last Monday.
The company will now be able to facilitate and manage online transactions between customers and merchants through multiple payment options on a single platform.
Japan's My Number card is also a driver's license
The Japanese government will allow the country's personal ID card – known as “My Number” – to serve as a driver's license from March next year.
Drivers have the option to combine their driving licenses on the card, carry both with them or keep them separate. Before the card can serve as a driver's license, the relevant information must be transferred to the embedded IC.
Provided there are no traffic violations, those who integrate their driver's license with the My Number card can renew their driver's license online for less money. They also benefit from less bureaucracy when changing addresses.
Hong Kong's top leader warns US investment blacklist will backfire
Hong Kong chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu has spoken out against a recent US Treasury rule restricting US investments in Chinese semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies and AI.
He is said to describe the ban – which also applies to Hong Kong – as harmful to American companies.
Regarding the blacklist, he reportedly warned that the US “will reap what it sows.”
APAC Dealbook
Recent alliances and deals The Register spotted across the region last week include:
- Japanese electronics giant Fujistu and data-driven video assembly company Linius Technologies announced a partnership to provide AI-powered video analytics.
The duo claimed that it will enable companies to instantly search, analyze and compile video data into actionable insights, which they expect to be particularly effective for “security/surveillance, airport and transportation operations, border services, police/firefighting operations, Locations/Facilities” will be inspections and maintenance, retail analysis, consumer behavior.”
- Singapore-based digital forensics and cyber emergency response company BlackPanda signed a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) with the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) to collaborate on cyber threat analysis and reconnaissance.
- Cambodian telecommunications provider Telcotech and China Unicom Global Cambodia have signed an agreement to build a new network route and modernize existing infrastructure between China, Laos and Cambodia.
According to China Unicom Global, the deal “supports the growing demand in China and Indochina, which can be an alternative route for China to connect to Singapore or Malaysia via Laos, Cambodia and the MCT submarine cable.”®
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