Singapore, 30 April 2002 - Green Dot Internet Services (GDIS) Pte Ltd, developer and operator of MIW (www.miw.com.sg - the lifestyle portal for Singapore's NSmen) and the MINDEF e-Services Centre (eSC), today celebrates the portal's first anniversary by announcing the launch of 3 new services - MIW PDA Apps, MIW e-LIFE and MIW Help Online.

MIW was launched in April last year by Deputy Prime Minister Dr Tony Tan as the one-stop internet portal serving the extended MINDEF community of NSmen, pre-enlistees into national service, Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel and employees of MINDEF, which total some 350,000 users. It was part of MINDEF's strategic intent to transform itself for the knowledge economy of the 21st century. The portal and eSC were set up to provide the NSmen with the convenience of interacting with MINDEF at any time, from any place and using any mode of communication, letting NSmen get 'on-line' instead of 'in-line' to a wide range of information and services. In addition to MINDEF information and transactions, MIW also offers the NSmen interesting content, good value products and services at special rates as well as tools for communication and community building.

Over the last 12 months, a continuous stream of applications and services were introduced on MIW by MINDEF. The number of such applications more than doubled from 22 to 50 during this period, providing increasing levels of convenience and flexibility for the NSmen. An example of a recent application introduced this year is e-Exit Permit (e-EP). This allows the application and collection of exit permits to be done via the Internet on MIW. With e-EP, the NSman need no longer visit the Exit Permit office or wait for a physical permit to be mailed to him. He can simply apply online and receive an EP number as acknowledgement. Another new service offering convenience to NSmen and their employers is e-Make-up Pay Claim. The NSman is now able to file make-up pay online when he is called up for in-camp training. The electronic application is automatically routed to his employer and the NS Pay Department for processing, thereby simplifying the entire process. Facilities are also available for NSmen and their employers to make online enquiries and check on their payment status.

A year into its launch, MIW now has a registered user base of more than 120,000 members and averages 7 million hits, over 2 million page views monthly and 1,700 unique visitors daily.

Announcing the launch of the 3 new services today, Dr Francis Yeoh, CEO, GDIS said, "MINDEF is a leader and innovator in the use of new technologies and services. Through MIW, MINDEF was the first organization in Singapore to implement a 'smart' SMS service for transaction, the first to have a comprehensive speaker independent speech recognition application and I believe, the first to have an equally comprehensive real-time online help system that is launched today."

The 3 new services are the following.

(1) MIW PDA Apps
NSmen who are constantly on the move can now perform transactions like overseas travel notification and IPPT (Individual Physical Proficiency Test) booking through their internet-enabled personal digital assistants (PDAs). All the NSman needs to do is to download a freeware program called Palm Query Application (PQA) from www.palm.com and 'hot-sync' to his PDA. Once that is done, he can just click on the icon and will be able to connect to MIW and carry out his transaction.

(2) MIW e-LIFE (Lifelong Investment in Fitness and Exercise)
MIW e-LIFE is another application made available to NSmen to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle. Like a personal health organizer, MIW e-LIFE allows the NSman to monitor his own health and fitness level. The application also comes bundled with useful tools like a calorie calculator and food database to help him select the most appropriate healthy diet. MIW e-LIFE is available on the Internet. A downloadable version for the PDA will be released shortly so that the NSman can carry the application with him, for easy reference wherever he goes.

(3) MIW Help Online
MIW Help Online consists of several real-time help services for MIW users - MIW Text Online, MIW Talk Online and MIW Help Callback. Using state-of-the-art 'voice over IP' technology, these services allow help to be rendered by customer service officers at the eSC without requiring that the user terminate his Internet connection. This is particularly helpful for users who use a dial-up telephone connection for Internet access.

Colonel Bernard Toh, Director for Public Affairs at MINDEF said, "MINDEF has made a commitment to offer all its services and transactions that can be performed electronically, online. With the availability of the MIW portal, the pace for delivering services online has stepped up considerably. The last year has seen quite a transformation in how we communicate with our key "customers" - the NSmen. We have opened up many more channels for interaction, which gives the NSmen greater convenience and flexibility in fulfilling their national service obligations. We will continue to innovate and experiment with new technologies and methods to maintain effectiveness and service excellence."

Dr Yeoh added, "We are very pleased that MIW has made excellent progress in its first 12 months, thanks to the enthusiasm and support of MINDEF and the Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA). MIW delivers convenience to the NSmen in their interaction with MINDEF - every conceivable communication mode is currently supported and new modes and technologies will be supported as they emerge. The 3 services announced today are just part of a series of innovative applications that will be implemented in the months ahead. MIW also provides good useful content and attractive offers for the NSman and his family. We want to develop it as a community site for the NSmen and welcome the NSmen's feedback and suggestions on how we can enhance the site to serve them even better. "

The 3 services are available from today at www.miw.com.sg or www.miw.com.

About MIW
MIW (www.miw.com.sg) is a lifestyle portal designed and built for Singapore's National Servicemen (NSmen). It provides in one place all the information about National Service as well as services and applications used by NSmen. Catering to a population of increasingly tech-savvy users, MIW also provides messaging and community building tools, attractive commercial offerings and content for the community of NSmen. Launched on 1 Apr 2001 by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Dr Tony Tan, the portal reaches 350,000 NSmen on-line and currently receives more than 50,000 unique visitors per month. The portal, together with the MINDEF e-Services Centre (1-800-eMINDEF), It is accessible anytime, anywhere, using any device.

About Green Dot Internet Services
Green Dot Internet Services (GDIS) is an e-business enabler and Internet services and solutions provider, helping enterprises harness the infinite potential of the Internet. GDIS's core competency is in portal operation & management and call center services. Incorporated in October 2000, GDIS is a subsidiary of Green Dot Capital (GDC) and part of the Singapore Technologies group. GDIS was awarded a 5-year contract by MINDEF to build and operate MIW (miw.com.sg), an Internet portal serving the MINDEF community of NSmen, pre-enlistees into national service, Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel and MINDEF employees.


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