Singtel Comcentre is being demolished as we speak. As you may or may not know, Singtel is building a new building on its existing site. In commemorating the long history of Singtel Comcentre, Singtel has launched the “Voices from Comcentre” book chronicling the legacy of the iconic building that served as Singtel’s headquarters for 45 years.
In my personal opinion, I think this book is really for those who had or have been working with Singtel for a long time. You can check out this 35-minute video showcasing the Comcentre and the people that grow with it.
As a person who has been in this kind of situation, I can fully understand the emotion going through them when they are packing to leave the place. I suspect the book are being bought by current and ex-employees rather than the public.
However, if you want to get a hand on it, here is the information.
The “Voices from Comcentre” book will be available for $25 from 7 – 27 October 2024 at select Singtel stores in 313@somerset, Jurong Point, and Tampines Mall. All purchases will be equally matched by Singtel, with proceeds going to the Singtel Touching Lives Fund, which supports the Community Chest and special education schools – Singtel’s chosen cause.
Congrats to Singtel for the milestone and the building of the new Singtel Comcentre.
Here is the Press Release for more information.
Press Release
Singtel launches “Voices from Comcentre” to mark 145th anniversary
The interconnected history of Singtel, its headquarters, and Singapore as a nation is told as the iconic Comcentre is redeveloped.
Singapore, 4 October 2024 – Singtel today launched “Voices from Comcentre”, a book chronicling the legacy of the iconic building that served as Singtel’s headquarters for 45 years. This comes as Singtel commemorates 145 years of telephony in Singapore, tracing its journey from local monopoly to Southeast Asia’s largest telecoms group. Central to this journey is the story of Comcentre which is being redeveloped for the digital age. Singtel has partnered leading real estate company Lendlease to transform Comcentre into a state-of-the-art office development that will provide a greener, smarter and more collaborative work environment that meets Singtel’s evolving business needs.
Mr Yuen Kuan Moon, Singtel Group CEO, said, “Comcentre holds many special memories for generations of Singtel staff, having been the site of many company milestones, and we wanted to preserve those memories through ‘Voices from Comcentre’. Besides commemorating the building, this book pays tribute to our employees who have made Singtel what it is today.”
He added, “As Singtel celebrates its 145th anniversary, it is also timely to take stock of how far we’ve come and where we are headed. Comcentre has served as innovation central for decades and its redevelopment is a strategic move that will ensure Singtel continues to lead in the 5G era and beyond. By reflecting on the journey that Singtel has travelled so far, we can better plot the direction that we need to take to continue achieving the company’s purpose of empowering every generation.”
“Voices” traces 145 years of Singapore’s communications history, beginning with an account of Singapore’s first telephone exchange set up in 1879. These early events provide historical context for the 1979 opening of Comcentre, which coincided with Singapore’s 100th year of telephone service. The book also captures Singtel’s and Singapore’s key technological milestones and firsts, told by Singtel staff who were instrumental in helping to shape and make that history.
Singtel staff offer personal and unique perspectives
“Voices from Comcentre” is told by Singtel staff who offer personal and unique perspectives into the building’s history and the technological advancements that transformed telecommunications in Singapore – from analogue to digital, 1G to 5G, submarine cables to satellites. Their stories shed light on how Singtel’s enduring culture of innovation and resilience has driven its expansion from local to global powerhouse.
Ms Lian Pek, Singtel’s Vice President of Group Strategic Communications and Brand, says, “With Comcentre bearing witness to over four decades of change in Singtel’s journey, we felt that the job of telling this story was best done by Singtel pioneers and staff. For many, Comcentre had become a topography of their working lives, a repository of milestones, memory and meaning – an emotional space, in short. We sought to capture this emotional relationship between Comcentre and its occupants because these inner landscapes and workings help pave the way for new worlds to be made – a new Comcentre development that will continue to be synonymous with the Singtel brand.”
One profile is that of associate engineer Lim Siew Meng, who reminisces about his time in the networks team which launched Singapore’s first-generation (1G) mobile network in 1987. He recounts how Singtel rolled out the technology and commissioned the 61 base stations for the network in 1988 – one of the first being Comcentre, which was chosen for its strategic height and central location.
Another profile is that of senior director Edmund Quek who was part of the team equipping Comcentre with outdoor and indoor antennas in 2005 to ensure good 3G coverage on each floor. He shares that Apple eventually chose to launch its iPhone 3G at Comcentre in 2008 due to the building’s superior 3G network quality.
Writing the next chapter
The book also provides a look into the future of Comcentre, which was vacated in April 2024 for redevelopment. Slated for completion in 2028, Comcentre will incorporate sustainable designs and digital solutions that will help Singtel meet its environmental, social, and governance goals.
The “Voices from Comcentre” book will be available for $25 from 7 – 27 October 2024 at select Singtel stores in 313@somerset, Jurong Point, and Tampines Mall. All purchases will be equally matched by Singtel, with proceeds going to the Singtel Touching Lives Fund, which supports the Community Chest and special education schools – Singtel’s chosen cause.
A 35-minute documentary with the same title serves as a companion piece to the book and will be concurrently released on the Singtel YouTube channel on 7 October.
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ANNEX – Book reviews of “Voices”
Yong Ying-I, CPF Board Chairman, former IDA Chairman and CEO: “Voices from Comcentre sheds light on how Singtel’s groundbreaking work within its iconic headquarters propelled the advancement of telecommunications in Singapore, allowing not just the company but the country to stay firmly ahead. A fascinating read about Singtel’s strong legacy as a national institution and the central role it has played in everyday Singaporean life since 1965.”
Ravi Velloor, Veteran Straits Times editor and columnist: “If Singapore’s existential mantra is great connectivity, Comcentre has stood for decades as its enduring totem pole; aptly for the island’s history and ambitions, soaring into the sky not far from the detritus of erstwhile hawker markets. This book, complete with tales of secret caverns underground and matriarchal secretaries fussing protectively on the top floor is a true tribute to one of the grandest of Singapore’s early skyscrapers.”
Koh Buck Song, Country brand adviser and author of Brand Singapore: “Brands are all about attributes
– which are shaped by an organisation’s work environment, and sustained by its staff. For Singtel, the key brand attributes are vision, drive and loyalty; the pioneering, productive location is Comcentre; and here in this book are the formative memories, and realised dreams, of its people.”
Devadas Krishnadas, Public policy specialist and CEO, Future Moves: “A necessary and readable account of the place in Singapore’s history of the iconic Singtel Comcentre and how it has been a physical representation of the criticality of communications connectivity to the country’s economic growth and social maturation.”
About Singtel
Singtel is a leading Asian communications technology group, operating next-generation connectivity, digital infrastructure and digital businesses including regional data centre arm Nxera and regional IT services arm NCS. The Group has presence in Asia, Australia and Africa and reaches over 780 million mobile customers in 21 countries.
For consumers, Singtel delivers a complete and integrated suite of services, including mobile, broadband and TV. For enterprises, Singtel offers a complementary array of workforce mobility solutions, data hosting, cloud, network infrastructure, analytics and cyber security capabilities.
Singtel is dedicated to continuous innovation, harnessing technology to create new and exciting customer experiences, support enterprises in their digital transformation and shape a more sustainable, digital future.
For more information, visit www.singtel.com.
About Singtel Touching Lives Fund
Launched in 2002, the Singtel Touching Lives Fund (STLF) is Singtel’s flagship corporate philanthropy programme to help the less privileged children and young people in Singapore, in particular those with special needs – by equipping them with the skills needed to lead independent and meaningful lives. Since its inception, the STLF has raised over S$57million for charities under the auspices of the National Council of Social Service
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