Singapore Overseas Telecommunication Board Ordinance

Bill No. 169/1962

Read the first time on 14th March 1962.

An Ordinance to provide for the establishment of a corporation to be known as the Singapore Overseas Telecommunication Board and for the exercise and performance by the corporation of functions relating to the provision and operation of external telecommunication services and for the transfer to the corporation of the external telecommunication undertakings of the Government and Cable and Wireless Limited in Singapore and for matters connected therewith.

Whereas by an Agreement dated the 8th day of March 1962, between the Government of Singapore and Cable and Wireless Limited in Singapore it has been agreed that a Board to be known as the Singapore Overseas Telecommunication Board should be established for the exercise and performance by such Board of functions relating to the provision and operation of external telecommunication services:

And whereas by such Agreement it has been further agreed that the external telecommunication undertakings of the Government of Singapore and Cable and Wireless Limited in Singapore should be transferred to such Board in such a manner that the undertaking of such Board should be owned as to fifty-one per cent by the Government of Singapore and as to forty-nine per cent by Cable and Wireless Limited in Singapore.

Be it enacted by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore, as follows: —

PART I

PRELIMINARY

Short title and commencement

1.—(1) This Ordinance may be cited as the Singapore Overseas Telecommunication Board Ordinance, 1962, and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may by notification in the Gazette appoint.

(2) The Minister may appoint different dates for the coming into operation of the different Parts or provisions of this Ordinance.

Interpretation

2. In this Ordinance —

“Auditor” means the Auditor nominated under subsection (3) of section 39 of this Ordinance;

“Board” means the Singapore Overseas Telecommunication Board established under section 3 of this Ordinance;

“Chairman” means the Chairman of the Board appointed under section 4 of this Ordinance;

“Commonwealth Telegraphs Agreement” means the Commonwealth Telegraphs Agreement entered into on the 11th day of May 1948, between His Britannic Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom and the Governments of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Southern Rhodesia or any other subsequent Commonwealth Telegraphs Agreement to which the Government may be or may be made a party and includes any modifications of such Agreements made from time to time;

“Company” means Cable and Wireless Limited in Singapore;

“Deputy Chairman” means the Deputy Chairman of the Board appointed under subsection (3) of section 5 of this Ordinance;

“external telecommunication service” means any telecommunication service between a point in Singapore and any point outside Singapore excluding the Federation of Malaya;

“external telecommunication undertaking” means the telecommunication installations and plant and the undertaking in connection therewith which was, immediately before the coming into operation of this Ordinance, as the case may be, either —

(a)	the property of the Government or was vested in any person for and on behalf of the Government; or
(b)	the property of the Company or was vested in any person for and on behalf of the Company,

and was used or intended to be used for the provision of an external telecommunication service for the Government, public bodies, and the public generally;

“internal telecommunication service” means any telecommunication service operated within Singapore and includes any such service to any vehicle, vessel or aircraft within or without Singapore and any such service between Singapore and Federation of Malaya;

“International Telecommunication Convention” means the International Telecommunication Convention signed at Geneva on the 21st day of December 1959, or any other subsequent International Telecommunication Convention to which the Government may be or may be made a party and includes any modifications of or any regulations made under such Conventions from time to time;

“radiocommunication” means telecommunication by means of radio waves;

“statutory authority” means any authority or body corporate established, incorporated or constituted under the provisions of any written law;

“telecommunication” means any transmission, emission or reception of signs, signals, writing, images and sounds or intelligence of any nature by wire, radio, optical or other electromagnetic systems;

“telecommunication installations and plant” includes all buildings, land, interests in land, exchanges, machinery, apparatus, equipment, plant, cables, poles, lines, vehicles and all other appliances or accessories whatsoever used for and in connection with a telecommunication service;

“telecommunication service” means any service operated by the Board connected with the transmission, emission or reception of signs, signals, writing, images and sounds or intelligence of any nature by wire, radio, optical or other electromagnetic systems and includes the provision by the Board of the necessary arrangements and the means to enable the Government, public bodies and the public to use, on payment of the prescribed tariff, such service for the purpose of temporary or permanent communication within or without Singapore;

“telegraph line” means the wire or wires used for the purpose of telecommunication and includes any casing, coating, tube or pipe enclosing the same and any appliance or apparatus connected therewith for the purpose of fixing or insulating the same;

“undertaking of the Board” means the external telecommunication undertaking of the Board.

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