| By Rosli Abidin
Yahya
Local Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs) are hoping that the Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) Incubation Centre (IC) will
commence in the near future and prepare them towards bridging
the digital divide.
They said that they have been
anticipating for a February opening but no news of it has been
received until now.
They added that the incubation
centre must commence very soon, so that they could be ready for
Brunei Eco-Cyber Park, which must kick-start by 2005.
The cyber park has been tagged
a national priority, due to the urgent need of the nation to
bridge the digital divide with other countries in the region
such as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Hong
Kong.
Malaysia has several cyber
parks including the largest of them all, 8,000-hectare Cyberjaya.
The incubator is meant for
individuals and companies to expand from prototype and
pre-production stage, up to market testing, production and
commercialisation.
The IC is supposed to be the
training ground for local SMEs in IT-related knowledge towards
participation in the cyber park.
Two existing blocks of flat at
Kg Anggerek Desa, Berakas have been identified for renovation
towards the Incubation Centre.
Currently, plans are still
being studied by the Communication Ministry, Public Works
Department and the Department of Electrical Services before
implementation.
The Incubation Centre shall
comprise of intelligent offices equipped with shared IT/IS
facilities, which is a tiny version of the originally proposed
digital park.
Like Brunei Eco-Cyber Park
itself, the IC is also a part of the 8th National Development
Programme, in which IT, together with Human Resources
Development (HRD) and SMEs, are given emphasis in the national
socio-economic development.
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