THE race to build Singapore's new broadband internet network is shaping up quickly, with a new player jumping into the fray and two contenders dropping out last week.

When fully ready by 2015, the network will offer speeds that are at least 10 times faster than now and let people download movies in mere seconds.

The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) released an updated list of firms that are qualified to lay cables to link up homes, schools and companies.

The shortlist, another step forward in the long process of awarding one of Singapore's most ambitious technological projects, includes a new bidder - SP Telecommunications, a subsidiary of Singapore Power.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.