Mobile Phone Reception Coverage in Lifts in New HDB Developments to Facilitate Emergency Calls

Lifts in Housing and Development Board (HDB) developments are designed and installed in compliance with the prevailing Codes and Regulations, and requirements set by relevant Authorities.

As part of the Infocomm Media Development Authority's (IMDA’s) quality-of-service standards, mobile operators are required to provide more than 85% service coverage in each building. There is no requirement to provide mobile coverage inside lifts. It is challenging to ensure good mobile coverage inside lifts, due to the enclosed metallic structure of lifts.

Lifts in HDB developments are equipped with and monitored by the Tele-Monitoring System (TMS), which can automatically detect a lift breakdown and alert the lift maintenance contractors.

When the alarm button is pressed during a lift breakdown, an alert will be sent via the TMS to the Essential Maintenance Services Unit (EMSU), which will then dispatch a rescue team to assist anyone who may be trapped. Additionally, residents outside the lifts will be able to hear the alarm and can call the EMSU hotline displayed at the lift lobby for assistance.

Lifts in HDB developments generally also have vision panels installed in the lift doors, which allow residents at the lift lobby to tell if a lift has broken down and whether there are affected users inside. The alarm button inside the lifts is usually one of the lowest buttons for easy reach and is checked regularly by the lift maintenance contractors.

Mr Speaker, I thank the Senior Minister of State for her detailed answer. I would like to raise a couple of supplementary questions, questions on behalf of my Clementi residents, in particular residents at Clementi Peaks, which is a very new precinct, brand new.

Some of the lifts at Clementi Peaks have issues with mobile reception inside. My residents have observed this. And I and my grassroots leaders, having gone in the lifts and actually done a survey of the lifts, have noticed that in some of the Clementi Peaks lifts. Can I put two questions to the Ministry of National Development (MND)?

Firstly, would it shape HDB and IMDA's future planning norms to consider the scenario of a lift breakdown, where for whatever unfortunate reason, the alarm button at the same time is also not working?

Secondly, would it also shape HDB and IMDA's planning requirements to consider the scenario where an elderly resident has fallen in a lift or had a medical emergency, let us say late at night, and is not physically able to reach the alarm button and therefore mobile phone reception would be their key lifeline for help? And I hope agencies may consider this amidst our ageing population.

I thank Dr Tan. As I have explained, at the moment, there are no planning requirements for mobile coverage within HDB lifts. And my understanding is that it is not included in IMDA's requirement for coverage because human traffic there is transient, along with other places within a building. Also, from the perspective of what happens when there is a breakdown and the possibility of rescue being required, I have also outlined the existing safety features that HDB lifts are equipped with.

Nevertheless, we acknowledge that there may be times where residents or volunteers notice that the mobile coverage in HDB lifts might be weak and would like it to be made stronger, in which case HDB will work with the telecommunications operators to discuss with them and also to see if coverage can be boosted. In the case of Clementi Peaks, we will follow up.

Sir, can I ask the Senior Minister of State if the 80% to 85% coverage includes car parks in HDB estates? Some residents in my new estate in Tampines have reported some patchy coverage.

Sir, I have with me a list of areas that are excluded from the framework where IMDA sets out a baseline requirement of 85% coverage.

The areas excluded are those where human traffic is transient. These include bomb shelters, store rooms, toilets within individual premises, lifts, plant rooms, mechanical and engineering (M&E) rooms, lift motor rooms, lift houses, water tank areas, warehouses, ventilation facilities, vaults, in-building car parks located at second levels of basements and below, all in-home basements of private landed residential properties, mechanical and plant facilities, rooms and emergency stairways.