Singapore, 30 Oct 2009 -- Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel) announced today ithas won the prestigious 2009 Innovation Award from Lloyd's List Asia, a leading global shipping news publication. Singtel received this award for its leadership in developing innovative solutions to improve communications at sea and address the rising challenges of the maritime industry.

Solutions such as Singtel's Office-At-Sea suite of maritime applications, which enables vessels to communicate seamlessly and cost effectively with their headquarters on land, were recognised for boosting business productivity and improving crew welfare. Applications include voice and video calls, email, Internet access, GSM connectivity, e-surveillance, as well as a comprehensive range of shipboard tools.

Mr Bill Chang, Singtel's Executive Vice President of Business Group, said: "This award recognises Singtel's commitment to accelerating innovations in the maritime industry and transforming the way our customers do business. As a leading maritime ICT solutions provider, we are excited to play an important role in helping shipping companies achieve success by enabling them to reduce costs, improve productivity and enhance the lives of their employees."

Through its pursuit of innovation, Singtel has set new benchmarks in the maritime industry. For example, Singtel became the first satellite service provider in Asia to offer a maritime broadband service with seamless, worldwide coverage over all major shipping routes. This service has been deployed for many customers around the world, including Torm Shipping,Europe's leading maritime company.

As a breakthrough in maritime communications technology, Singtel introduced the world's first 1.5-metre C-band stabilised satellite antenna. Co-designed with its partner SeaTel, this enables sea-going vessels to enjoy significantly higher bandwidth (up to 6Mbps) than a traditional 2.4-metre C-band antenna.

Other notable Singtel innovations include its AITrac global satellite tracking solution and Collaborative Networking tool that enable maritime companies to remotely monitor and troubleshoot shipboard ICT equipment via satellite broadband connections.

Singtel helped to establish the Satcom@SMA maritime innovation hub at the Singapore MaritimeAcademy to provide a platform for the development of new applications and solutions.

Lloyd's List evaluates candidates based on a stringent set of qualitative and quantitative measurements. Its criteria included the pace of technological innovation, and the impact of the technology on the maritime industry.