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Thailand’s 5G auction raises more than 100 billion baht
On February 16, Thailand’s telecommunications regulator, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), raised 100.52 billion baht (US$3.2 billion) in its 5G spectrum auction. Operators who participated in the auction secured 48 licenses ahead of the expected 5G commercial rollout later this year.
Thailand’s largest mobile operator, Advanced Info Service, won 23 licenses across all three spectrum bands. It now has one license for the 700 MHz range, 10 for the 2600 MHz band, and 12 for the 26 GHz band. Big telecom operators True Corporation and Total Access Communication acquired 17 and 2 licenses, respectively. Together, state-run national telecom companies CAT Telecom and TOT won six licenses.
5G promises data speeds up to 100 times faster than 4G and is expected to drive the country’s digital economy once it is supported by infrastructure. For this reason, the auction was actively attended by mobile operators despite the current lack of commercially available devices that support 5G technology. 5G is expected to expand the networks of Internet of Things devices in manufacturing, transport, healthcare, agriculture, and more. The NBTC projects that adopting 5G in 2020 could contribute 177 Billion baht (US$5.58 billion) to the country’s economy, or a 1.02% of the gross domestic product. It is expected that the initial 5G roll-out in Thailand will focus on enhanced mobile broadband and fixed wireless access service to boost data bandwidth and connection reliability.
Thailand is the first ASEAN nation to hold a 5G license auction. Other ASEAN member states have chosen to take different approaches, such as the call for proposal approach taken in Singapore or the intent to tender spectrum bands to a single consortium of multiple licensees in Malaysia. However, it will still take time for 5G to gain ground. Even though businesses are looking to develop 5G compatibility, the scale to which 5G technology will be embraced (e.g. Internet of Things integration in devices and robotics) and the speed with which industries will adapt remain uncertain. Data-driven industries will likely see the influx of data for collection, observation, analysis, and interpretation which will in turn dictate the direction of services and innovation.
Singapore 2020 Budget highlights enterprise growth through digitalization, development of human capital, investment in technology
On February 18, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Heng Swee Keat addressed the Singaporean Parliament to deliver the proposed budget for 2020. Under the theme “Growing Our Economy, Creating Opportunities for Our People,” DPM Heng emphasized Singapore’s focus on cross-sectoral partnerships, announcing that Singapore will set aside S$8.3 billion (US$5.9 billion) over the next three years to help companies grow.
To catalyze investment in deep-tech startups, DPM Heng announced that S$300 million (US$214 million) would be set aside under the Startup SG Equity to give new tech startups better access to capital, expertise, and industry networks. Deep-tech startups are those in emerging technology areas such as pharmaceutical bioinformatics and medical technology, advanced manufacturing, and agri-food tech, which have high potential to be competitive and stimulate innovation but will also likely have long gestation periods for development.
Beyond startups, enterprises will be supported through the Enterprise Grow Package to help them identify business needs, adopt pre-approved digital technologies, and allow them to explore new markets. To this effect, Singapore will launch its GoBusiness platform, which is a single touchpoint or window to transact with government digitally. The government will expand the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Go Digital program and have its Industry Digital Plans help SMEs adopt digital technology in their operations. There will also be the Market Readiness Assistance grant which will support business to better understand domestic and international markets.
Singapore will sustain its investment in artificial intelligence, industrial robotics, urban solutions and sustainability, and the biomedical sciences under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 Plan and through the research community. Singapore hopes to transform the ideas to businesses with global potential. So far, autonomous vehicle (AV) companies have made Singapore a testing hub for AV, more than 300 biomedical startups are in the city-state, and research institutes have been actively fighting against COVID-19 by developing diagnostic kits already in use within and outside of Singapore.
Under the same theme, DPM Heng pointed out the need to have globally competitive workers that are able to embrace and adapt to digital transformation. Local students shall benefit from the government’s “70-70” target whereby 70% of local Institutes of Higher Learning graduates will have overseas experience, with 70% of this group having exposure in ASEAN, China, or India.
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ASEAN
Cyberspying groups haunt intel in Southeast Asia vietnamnews.vn 2nd Mar 2020
Major advanced persistent threat (APT) groups have increased their activity and are waging sophisticated cyberespionage in the Southeast Asia region, according to cyber-security company Kaspersky. In its 2019 APT report, the company said 2019 was a busy year for cybercriminals as they launched new attack tools, including spying through mobile malware to achieve their goal to steal information from government and military entities and organisations across the region. Vitaly Kamluk, director of the global research and analysis team (GReAT) Asia Pacific at Kaspersky, said: “Geopolitics is one of the main factors that shape the cyber threat landscape in Southeast Asia. A number of our investigations into APT attacks targeting the region last year showed the main attack motivation was economic and geopolitical intelligence gathering. Inevitably the main victims are mostly government organisations, diplomatic entities and political parties.”
ASEAN nations hit by data breaches, ransomware attacks and cryptojacking last year, Interpol says Illicit Trade News Network 20th Feb 2020
Southeast Asia experienced “significant” levels of cyber crime in 2019, including major data breaches, crippling ransomware attacks and a huge rise in cryptojacking, according to a new report from Interpol. In its ASEAN Cyberthreat Assessment 2020, the International law enforcement agency revealed that the region saw an increase in botnet,business email compromise (BEC) attacks, banking malware attacks crypto-ransomware and cryptojacking. The Interpol ASEAN Cybercrime Operations Desk concluded its report by vowing to enhance cyber crime intelligence for effective responses to cyber crime in the region, strengthen cooperation for joint operations against cyber crime, and develop regional capacity and capabilities to combat cyber crime.
Indonesia
Jokowi promises Microsoft simple regulation for data center investment The Jakarta Post 27th Feb 2020
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has promised United States-based technology company Microsoft it will create a simple regulation to allow the tech giant to invest in a data center in the country.“Microsoft would like to immediately invest in Indonesia, so we will decide within a week to issue a simple regulation to support investment in a data center,” Jokowi said after a meeting with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in Jakarta on Thursday. The decision to issue a new regulation was made as the House of Representatives' deliberation of a data protection bill continues to lag.
SoftBank-backed AI firm Eureka Raises $20m in Series B Round AsiaTechDaily 19th Feb 2020
Eureka AI, an Indonesia-based artificial intelligence enterprise software company backed by SoftBank, has raised US$20 million in its Series B funding round co-led by Apis Partners, Gobi Partners, the Riyad Taqnia Fund, and MEC Ventures. Eureka plans to use the new funds to support its international expansion plans in Europe and the US, as well as further develop its product portfolio. The company claims to deliver actionable intelligence at scale, thereby helping mobile operators and enterprises to partner and serve their customers better. The startup currently caters to operators across Southeast Asia, India, and the Middle East, with a total of over a billion customers, and is in the process of expanding to Europe and the US.
At Hannover, Indonesia to show its mettle in Industry 4.0 The Jakarta Post 14th Feb 2020
Being a partner country of Hannover Messe 2020, Indonesia will feature more than 170 exhibitors, which will demonstrate their industrial capability during the annual trade fair to be held in the German city on April 20-24. Indonesian Ambassador to Germany Arif Havas Oegroseno said the country’s industrial players, which had been selected by an interdepartmental team at home, would not only showcase their achievements in Industry 4.0 technology, but would also offer business and investment opportunities to the world.
HBO GO now available in Indonesia The Jakarta Post 13th Feb 2020
Satellite and cable network HBO released its standalone streaming service, HBO GO, in Indonesia on Wednesday. In Asia, the service is currently available in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam and is set to launch in more countries soon.
Exit of Indonesia’s Tech Whiz Kid Is a Warning to Startups The Wire 12th Feb 2020
Unbeknownst to the crowd, the 33-year-old self-taught computer whiz was on his way out. After a series of failed experiments and missteps -- including an abortive attempt to go toe-to-toe with Alibaba-backed rivals -- Zaky had lost his board’s confidence that he could lead a vastly expanded company into its next phase of growth. Just months away from ceding the reins of the $2.5 billion e-commerce outfit he built from the ground up, he spent much of the speech reflecting on his decade-long stewardship.
Jakarta working on smart city mobile app The Jakarta Post 11th Feb 2020
The Jakarta administration is working on a multipurpose mobile application that will cater to the needs of Jakartans for a variety of information on the capital city, including latest updates on floods and a map of affected areas across Jakarta. The app, dubbed Jakarta Kini (JAKI), is managed by the Jakarta Smart City (JSC) team, a unit under the Jakarta Communication, Information and Statistics Agency, which manages the use of information technology for public services. A beta version of the software has been downloaded 82,756 times through the Google Play store as of Friday.
Indonesia’s Gojek, PasarPolis Launch Online Insurance Service GoSure AsiaTechDaily 8th Feb 2020
Indonesia’s ride-hailing giant Gojek and insurance technology company PasarPolis have teamed up to launch GoSure, an online insurance service that seeks to provide consumers with easy access to insurance products. Since the introduction of GoSure’s beta version to a select group of users in October 2019, thousands of policies have been sold through the service, demonstrating significant consumer demand in this space.
Malaysia
Singapore, Malaysia credit card details dumped online in massive data breach AsiaOne 9th Mar 2020
Hundreds of thousands of credit card details from at least six Southeast Asian countries – including Malaysia and Singapore – have been leaked online, according to India-based cybersecurity start-up Technisanct. The company said this week it had found a series of data breaches involving credit card details issued by top banks in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand.
Facial recognition technology to go live at KLIA soon Free Malaysia Today 6th Mar 2020
It will take less time to board a flight at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) once the single token facial recognition system is rolled out by the middle of the year. After their biometrics are captured and verified during check-in, passengers are given a single verification token that will take them through all the airport’s touchpoints, such as baggage drop, security check and boarding, without having to present their passports or boarding passes. They only need to scan their faces at the facial recognition scanners at these touchpoints to verify their identity, thus reducing queues. A pilot run on two Malaysia Airlines flights which travel daily to Tokyo and Osaka started on Jan 29 and is expected to last for three months.
Malaysia lays out plans for next state-level smart city project Tech Wire Asia 24th Feb 2020
While the vision painted by smart cities can seem like a utopian dream, the reality is, in Asia, they are already becoming a reality — Malaysia, for one, has recently revealed the groundwork for its next smart city project in Johor. For Johor’s Head of State Government, Sahruddin Jamal, the smart city concept is not just a ‘nice to have,’ the integration of technology in public spaces will actually be key in improving public safety and quality of life. To that end, the city will be developing its use of Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, big data, advanced analytics, autonomous vehicles, and 5G technology. Jamal says these technologies combined will enable a move towards smart waste management, dynamic public transport systems, efficient water treatment cycles, energy-efficient buildings as well as cashless communities.
MCMC to closely monitor fake news on social media The Edge Markets 24th Feb 2020
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will continue to monitor the dissemination of fake information on social media sites following the current developments in the country. In a statement on February 24, the MCMC reminded the public not to disseminate unverified information which touches on racial, religious and the royal institution (3Rs) sensitivities. “Any sharing of content that is false, offensive and threatening in nature is an offence under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. Offenders can be fined up to RM50,000, or be jailed for not more than a year or both, upon conviction,” it said. MCMC also emphasized that enforcement would be carried out on the basis of complaints from the public in accordance with the provisions of the existing laws in a transparent manner, to protect the rights and interests of the people.
National fiberisation plan's first phase to be implemented in 8 states this year, costing RM290m The Edge Markets 21st Feb 2020
The government will implement the first phase of the National Fiberization and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) in eight states including Sabah this year, at a cost of RM290 million, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo on February 21. He said the first phase, which began on Feb 15, comprises 152 sites, 50 of which will be established in Sabah in the following areas — Nabawan, Tenom, Keningau, Papar, Tawau, Semporna, Kunak, Beluran, Tongod, Tuaran, Kudat, Kota Marudu and Pitas. "The NFCP is a five-year-plan launched in September last year. Under this plan, the government will launch six initiatives comprising NFCP 1 to 6, beginning this year.
Malaysia to choose 5G partners based on own security standards NST Online 17th Feb 2020
Malaysia’s own security standards will dictate which companies take part in its planned 5G rollout this year, its communications minister told Reuters on February 17, as the United States pushes countries to exclude China’s Huawei. Malaysia plans to issue spectrum tenders in April and estimates that 5G infrastructure development would cost some RM21.6 billion over five years. Huawei has already signed a 5G deal with Malaysian mobile network operator Maxis and preliminary agreements with other telcos such as Axiata Group’s Celcom and Telekom Malaysia. Besides Huawei, other suitors seeking a piece of Malaysia’s 5G business include Finnish company Nokia, which is positioning to provide services for the trade-reliant nation’s ports industry, and Sweden’s Ericsson.
Myanmar
State Counsellor pushes for speeding up e-Governance plans to ensure development Global New Light Of Myanmar 18th Feb 2020
State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, in her capacity as Patron of the e-Government Steering Committee, made a speech at the 4th e-Government Conference & ICT Exhibition held at the Myanmar International Convention Center II. In her opening remark, the State Counsellor said, “I prefer modern technologies in Myanmar version. It means I want Myanmar people to understand and apply these technologies. Technologies should be modified into Myanmar versions gradually so that even ordinary Myanmar people can become accustomed to modern technologies.“The implementation of e-Government is intended for many benefits, including easy and smooth activities at government agencies, effective functions, making right decisions, better services, appropriate responses to fulfill public needs and socioeconomic development of the people. The e-Government will also help closer cooperation between the government and the people, between the government and private firms, among state agencies, and between the government and civil service staff."
Philippines
PCC: Concerns over foreign ownership of utilities may be addressed through regulation Business World 2nd Mar 2020
National security concerns arising from the removal of foreign ownership restriction in telecommunications, transportation and other industries can be addressed through regulation, according to the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) commissioner. The House of Representatives passed House Bill No. 78, which seeks to amend the 83-year old Commonwealth Act No. 146 or the Public Services Act, on second reading last week. The bill proposed to limit the definition of pubic utilities to power transmission and distribution, water distribution pipeline system and sewerage pipeline system. Under the 1987 Constitution, foreign ownership of public utilities is limited to 40%. Critics have said that HB 78 is a way to bypass the Constitutional limits on foreign ownership of public utilities, as it did not include telecommunications, power and transport in the definition of public utilities.
Philippines telco PLDT bolsters staff skills for 5G future Tech Wire Asia 25th Feb 2020
Philippines telecommunications operator PLDT Inc, for one, has decided that the best strategy is to ramp up its network transformation initiatives and enhance the skills of its workforce through training programs. The network operator has recently inked a US$1-million grant agreement with the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) in a bid to speed up its transformation initiatives and fortify its digital footprints. PLDT believes training and development will help the company achieve its goals. According to PLDT Chief Executive Officer Manuel V. Pangilinan, “This investment will equip our people with the skills and knowledge needed to transform PLDT as an organization as we march towards the 5G-powered future.”
Tonik Financial Raises $6m, To Launch Philippines’ First Digital Bank AsiaTechDaily 25th Feb 2020
Southeast Asia’s first pure-play digital bank, Singapore-based Tonik Financial, announced that it has recently closed an equity funding round that raked in $6 million, co-led by venture capital firms Insignia Ventures Partners and Credence Partners. In a statement, Tonik said the funding round, which was also participated in by regional family offices and angel investors, will be used to finance the launch of Tonik Digital Bank Inc, the first digital-only bank in the Philippines. The bank received approval from the Philippine central bank last January, allowing it to provide digital banking services, such as retail banking, deposits, and consumer loans in the country, Tonik said.
Gordon prods government to marshall cyber warriors BusinessMirror 20th Feb 2020
SEN. Richard Gordon has prodded the Duterte administration to be ready to deploy its own cyber warriors who are ready to effectively counter “possible malicious cyber attacks.” Taking the floor at Tuesday night’s plenary session, Gordon stressed the need “for the country to have its own cyber experts” to promptly carry out counter measures in case of cyber attacks in the future. Gordon lamented that the government “lacks preparations and plans in terms of cyber warfare, and that the country is behind other nations when it comes to being visionary.”
PHL eyed as fintech start-ups’ hub BusinessMirror 11th Feb 2020
THE government is eyeing to turn the Philippines into an incubation hub for financial technology (fintech) start-ups, as the country tries to catch up with its regional neighbors on innovation and new solutions. At the media launch of the Philippine Fintech Festival 2020 on Monday, Trade Undersecretary Rafaelita M. Aldaba said it is important for the country to implement its industrial policy to be able to catch up with regional neighbors. She said the inclusion of start-ups will ensure the Philippines can cushion the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the trade war. “With more than 500 start-ups valued at $378 million, the Philippine start-up ecosystem is young but full of potential and embedded capabilities,” Aldaba said in a speech. “Fintech is growing steadily in the Philippines. Our start-up database shows 136 fintech companies, which make up 26 percent of the country’s total start-ups,” she added.
Banks rate cybersecurity as top concern Business World 10th Feb 2020
Board members and Chief Risk Officers (CROs) of banks and other financial institutions have identified cybersecurity as their top short-term (12 months) risk priority. This was revealed in the Tenth Annual Global Risk Management Survey conducted by EY (Ernst & Young) and the Institute of International Finance. Cybersecurity emerged at the top spot for the third straight year, considering that it only surfaced as a risk concern in 2015. Some of the key issues identified were concerns on industry-wide cybersecurity attacks, third-party security, cloud transition, and cybersecurity capabilities.
Outsourcing subsectors cut growth targets through 2022 amid hurdles Business World 10th Feb 2020
Several outsourcing subsectors cut their revenue targets across-the-board after the industry lowered its growth figures under a road map through 2022 due to geopolitical challenges, protectionism and automation. Information technology (IT) and software trails the other subsectors with a 2.7-6.2% annual revenue growth target from 2019 to 2022, lower than its original 11.4% goal, the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) said in a report on Monday. The industry in November cut its revenue target to a compound annual growth of 3.5-7.5% from 9.2% set in 2016, based on a study conducted by the Everest Group.
Singapore
Singapore to introduce security label for smart home devices ZDNet 3rd Mar 2020
Singapore is planning to introduce a Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme (CLS) for home routers and smart home hubs as part of efforts to increase awareness about using secured products. It also hopes the initiative will push manufacturers to deploy enhanced cybersecurity measures and create a mandate for a set of minimum security requirements for home routers. Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as home routers and smart home hubs are a growing area of security concern, especially as the adoption of such devices are expected to grow significantly, said Singapore's Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and information, Janil Puthucheary.
New scheme to get Singapore mid-career professionals into tech-related jobs The Business Times 3rd Mar 2020
A new programme will train and place Singapore's professionals aged 40 and above in tech-related jobs, regardless of whether they have a background in infocommunications and technology. This was announced by Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran during the ministry's Committee of Supply debate on Tuesday. Part of the tripartite TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) initiative which began in 2016, the pilot TeSA Mid-Career Advance programme works with participating firms to hire and train such mid-career Singapore citizens. These workers will be employed in a paid job while attending company-led training. Prior tech experience is not needed, but trainees must commit to completing the full training programme and meet the firms' hiring requirements.
Parliament: New inter-ministry committee formed to fight online scams The Straits Times 2nd Mar 2020
A new inter-ministry committee has been set up to combat the growing scourge of online scams as more police reports were made on them last year. The committee will formulate and carry out a strategy to deter and prevent online scammers from carrying out their operations, mitigate losses incurred and ensure the public remains vigilant of such scams. The committee will be manned by representatives from three ministries - the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Communications and Information, and Ministry of Trade and Industry - and others. The number of police reports made on scams jumped by more than 50 per cent last year, with many related to e-commerce, fake loan and credit-for-sex schemes.
Parliament: SAF to restructure to deal with cyber, terrorism, maritime threats The Straits Times 2nd Mar 2020
A high-level committee will be formed to build an integrated cyber force to defend Singapore against cyber threats, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Monday (March 2). This committee - led by the permanent secretary for defence development and the Chief of Defence Force (CDF) - will be examining ways to "recruit soldiers of the right aptitude, their training and deployments", he added. This Singapore Armed Forces cyber command will have to provide threat assessments and early warning against cyber attacks, and respond accordingly, he added.
Grab raises up to $856M to boost payments business as rumors swirl of a merger with rival Gojek TechCrunch 25th Feb 2020
Southeast Asian on-demand transport startup Gojek denies that it is involved in talks to merge with Grab. But today Grab announced that it has raised $856 million more in funding to help grow the other arms of Grab’s business in payments and financial services. Grab did not disclose its valuation with the latest investments. The news comes directly on the heels of rumors that Grab is in talks to merge with its big regional rival, Gojek. Gojek has denied the reports although ever since GoJek founder left the startup, there has been internal tension at the firm. The tension escalated after GoJek failed to secure new funds from SoftBank. This led the startup’s board to push for a merger. If they agree to merge, the two companies would potentially also deal with regulatory challenges similar to the ones Grab had to deal with when it bought Uber’s Southeast Asia operations in 2018.
Bitcoin trial: Apex court finds virtual currency exchange operator in breach of contract The Straits Times 24th Feb 2020
The Court of Appeal has ruled in a landmark case that virtual currency exchange operator Quoine must pay damages for wrongfully reversing seven trades on its platform . The court rejected Quoine's argument that it was entitled to unilaterally cancel the seven orders - placed by trader B2C2 to sell ethereum for bitcoin - on the basis that the transactions were a mistake. Quoine had argued that the parties who transacted with B2C2 were under the mistaken belief that the trades were at market price and that B2C2 knew of this mistake. The case is the first legal dispute in Singapore involving cryptocurrency. It is also believed be the first in the Commonwealth to deal with the question of how the legal doctrine of mistake should be applied when contracts are made by computerised trading systems, without human involvement.
Volocopter and Grab to study the feasibility of deploying air taxi services in Southeast Asia TechCrunch 18th Feb 2020
Air mobility startup Volocopter will be working together with on-demand transportation, food delivery and payments company Grab on a feasibility study around air mobility in Southeast Asia. The joint study is part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the two companies that covers exploration of the potential deployment of air taxi services in some of the cities in the region. This is the first step in a partnership that could eventually result in actually running test flights and establishing routes for air taxi service deployment, though how far things go will likely depend on the results of this study and the subsequent appetites of both parties involved. Volocopter is a German startup that has been building and demonstrating vertical takeoff and landing craft powered by electricity since 2011.
Three-way contest for two nationwide 5G licences in Singapore paves way for smart future The Straits Times 17th Feb 2020
All four telcos here have applied for at least one of four 5G licences up for grabs by the close of the local regulator's submission deadline on Monday (Feb 17), bringing Singapore one step closer to a future of driverless vehicles, cloud gaming on-the-go, and robot-run factory and ports. Singapore's largest telco Singtel and newcomer TPG Telecom submitted solo bids, while StarHub teamed up with M1 in a joint bid, said the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) on Monday evening.
Going digital: Singapore’s construction firms embrace artificial intelligence and virtual reality CNA 10th Feb 2020
The built-environment industry has been going through a steady transformation in recent years in a bid to improve productivity, reduce costs, improve safety and create better jobs. These efforts are part of the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Construction Industry Transformation Map launched in 2017, with digitalisation as its key plank. One main thrust is a process called Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) which leverages data and digital technologies to connect the different parties involved in a project. BCA hopes to have 40 to 60 IDD projects and IDD capabilities in 150 to 180 firms by 2020. Currently, there are 35 public and private sector projects piloting IDD. With IDD, firms use digital technology to integrate the entire construction process, from building design to operations and maintenance.
Thailand
AIS the first operator to launch 5G Bangkok Post 22nd Feb 2020
Advanced Info Service (AIS) has launched 5G ultra-fast internet service on the 2600-megahertz range it acquired from the recent auction, saying thousands of its cell sites are compatible with the frequency band. The leading mobile operator by subscribers, it plans to spend 10-15 billion baht on 5G network expansion over the next 12 months. The pledge came on February 21st as AIS handed over a cheque for about 2 billion baht to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) for the first installment payment for 10 licences on the 2600MHz range it won at the auction. The company also submitted a bank guarantee of 18.8 billion baht to the regulator.
Vietnam
MIC to submit national digital transformation programme this month vietnamnews.vn 27th Feb 2020
The Ministry of Information and Communications said it was completing the national digital transformation programme and expected to submit it to the Prime Minister this month. The programme includes digital transformation plans, solutions and roadmaps in key sectors and fields. The ministry said that the Politburo's Resolution 52-NQ/TW on a number of guidelines and policies of active participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution had driven the digital transformation trend in Việt Nam. One of the goals of the resolution is to make the digital economy account for 30 per cent of the country’s GDP by 2030.
Telecoms firms turning to digital content vietnamnews.vn 22nd Feb 2020
Telecommunications firms are turning towards developing their own digital content, the Việt Nam Telecommunications Authority (VNTA) under the Ministry of Information and Communications has said. Mobile service revenue is mainly based on traditional telecommunication services, with revenue from voice calls and SMS messages accounting for 76.6 per cent. With tightened management over pre-activated SIM cards, the number of mobile phone subscriptions was 125.8 million last year, a year-on-year decrease of 3.5 per cent. However, the number of broadband subscribers has increased significantly, with mobile broadband (3G, 4G) having 61.3 million subscriptions, accounting for 48.7 per cent of the total number of mobile subscriptions. The total market share of the three largest enterprises, Vinaphone, MobiFone, and Viettel, accounted for more than 96.2 per cent last year, said VNTA.
Vietnam will commercialise 5G in 2020 OpenGov Asia 17th Feb 2020
The Minister of Information and Communication (MIC), Nguyen Manh Hung, stated that Vietnam will be among the first countries to deploy 5G, both in providing services and manufacturing 5G devices. Vietnam will commercialise 5G by 2020 with made-in-Vietnam equipment. Of 131 mobile network operators that are deploying 5G, three are in Vietnam. There are still no standards and official frequency for 5G in the world. It is expected that standards will be set up in 2020. Both Viettel and Vingroup have stated they will commercialise 5G telecom devices this year.
Cyber attacks still harm internet users in Vietnam Vietnam Insider 17th Feb 2020
Despite the optimistic report by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) about cyber security status in Vietnam this January, the reality has shown that various kinds of attacks still exist on the Internet and are able to harm Internet users if they are careless. Accordingly, the MIC report revealed that in January 2020, there were 283 cyber attacks against Vietnamese information systems, a decrease of 11 percent and 17 percent compared to December 2019 and January 2019, respectively. In addition, the number of Vietnamese IP addresses in zombie networks this January was only 432,162, a reduction of 57.69 percent and 59.32 percent compared to December 2019 and January 2019, correspondingly.
Vietnam's 4G Users To Grow By 10 Million In 2020 Yahoo Finance 12th Feb 2020
Viettel Group is planning to accelerate 4G universalization in Vietnam by cooperating with vendor to supply smartphone under $65 and feature phones under $25. Additionally, Viettel will add around 2,400 base stations to fill 3,700 coverage holes across the country. With these two solutions, Viettel forecasts the number of 4G users in Vietnam to increase by 10 million. In 2019, despite a saturated market, Viettel Group telecom revenue grew by 6.4%, twice the average rate of the sector; telecom revenue from oversea markets increased by 24.4%.
Vietnam to terminate 2G service by 2022: minister Tuoi Tre News 12th Feb 2020
Vietnam will shut down all 2G services from January 1, 2022 under a roadmap planned out by the Ministry of Information and Communications, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said on Wednesday morning. According to Minister Hung, the shutdown of 2G services plays an important role in promoting smartphone ownership, which in turn promotes e-government, online transactions, and the digital economy. Vietnam’s telecommunications networks currently employ three different technologies, including GSM (2G) which was deployed in 1990, IMT 2000 (3G) launched in 2009, and LTE-A (4G) deployed in 2016.
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