Fostering social inclusion through digital enablement initiatives
As a homegrown, purpose-driven technology company, we’re committed to advancing the well-being and progress of vulnerable members of our society, including children, youth, seniors, low-income families and migrant workers. Singtel’s strong set of core values guide our daily interactions with each other, our customers, partners, communities, and the strategic decisions we make. Our purpose, Empower Every Generation, encapsulates our goal of creating sustainable value and building an equitable and inclusive future for all.
One significant area we’ve focused on is digital enablement and inclusion across all the markets we operate. This is because we recognise that more people risk getting left behind and excluded digitally as technology is increasingly used for completing essential tasks like buying food or accessing banking or government services. We adopt an integrated approach to addressing the digital gaps in the community in collaboration with our partners (national and social service agencies), customers and internal business units. In this way, we develop and implement programmes that leverage our company’s collective resources to create meaningful social impact.
Our digital enablement initiatives are focused on digital literacy so the vulnerable can enjoy the benefits of a digital lifestyle, safely. For example, during the throes of Covid in 2020, when people were working and living remotely, we launched a Singtel Digital Silvers initiative, which involves our staff volunteers giving one-on-one tutorials to seniors on how to use Whatsapp or Zoom to stay connected, make healthcare appointments online and avoid online threats.
[from left] Singtel staff volunteers, including Deputy CEO, Singtel Singapore, Anna Yip, [on right of 1st image] teaching seniors how to use apps and to stay safe online during Singtel’s Digital Silvers workshops
To ensure seniors and low-income families have what they need to stay connected, we launched Donate Your Data and Device programs to equip and empower them with free data, laptops and mobiles. To date, about 7,000 seniors have received free data connections through Singtel’s prepaid hi! Cards with a monthly 3GB data plan. We’ve also collected 957kg of electronic devices from our Singtel customers which were refurbished by our non-profit start-up partner, Engineering Good, and subsequently donated to seniors and low-income families.
[In the middle] Singtel Group Chief People & Sustainability Officer, Aileen Tan, contributing some electronics that will be recycled or refurbished for donation to seniors and low-income families
Beyond connectivity and devices, enabling a safe digital experience for our customers is a key priority. With our multi-pronged holistic security approach, our customers are protected from the network level to their devices. We actively prevent more than 30 million scam calls and 20 million scam SMSes from reaching our customers every month. We also run education campaigns for seniors as well as workshops, in partnership with the Migrant Workers Centre, for more than 48,000 migrant workers so they can better protect themselves while online. To help parents and children learn about online bullying and other safety issues, Singtel has invested over S$1 million to support more than 10,000 parents and youth over the past two years via Help123, a cyber wellness and digital parenting platform offering workshops and a one-stop hotline.
In all, we are pleased to share that we have digitally enabled more than 840,000 beneficiaries in Singapore and Australia (through our wholly owned subsidiary Optus) since 2015 and are on track to reaching our digital enablement goal of one million persons.
Driving innovation in the social sector with technology
We believe that many problems faced by the vulnerable can be mitigated through technological innovation and that social impact start-ups have the potential to make a significant difference with the right mentorship and funding. That’s why we started the Singtel Future Makers (SFM) program in 2016. We were one of the earliest tech accelerators in Singapore to support and develop social enterprises with digitally innovative solutions to enhance social impact in areas such as healthcare, education, environment and inclusion. Today, the program has supported more than 80 local and regional social impact start-ups, with over S$5 million in grants.
One of the social impact enterprises, Soundeye, pitching their innovation to the judges at Singtel Future Makers 2022
The winners of Singtel Future Makers 2022 who received funding to further develop or scale their solutions
Enabling more opportunities for inclusion
While we’re on track to meeting our 2025 target of empowering one million persons and SMEs through digital enablement and inclusion, we’re looking to widen our beneficiary base and set new long-term targets for our initiatives. Through discussions with our business leaders and social services partners, we’re exploring new channels for increasing engagement, volunteerism and outreach to beneficiaries. And to support higher levels of employment among vulnerable communities, we’re evaluating ways to bridge gaps in digital skills that are critical to employability.
These programs have not only made a difference in the communities we serve but give us a deeper understanding of their challenges. It also cultivates valuable skills such as empathy, adaptability, and effective communication, that are essential for personal and professional growth.
They also serve as a reminder of the importance of considering the diverse needs of our customers and society as a whole and spurs us to continuously innovate and create more value for our stakeholders.
Singtel is Asia's leading communications technology group, providing a portfolio of services from next-generation communication, 5G and technology services to infotainment to both consumers and businesses. Present in Asia, Australia and Africa, reaching over 770 million mobile customers and businesses in 21 countries, Singtel is dedicated to continuous innovation, harnessing technology to create new and exciting customer experiences and shaping a more sustainable, digital future.
