24th until 26th September 2019 – The Mobile 360 Digital Societies conference had been held at JW Marriott Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The host sponsor for this event was Axiata with other event sponsors including Fiberhome (Headline Sponsor), Edotco, Gigabyte, Huawei and Telepin (Industry Sponsors), as well as Arm (eSim Supporting Sponsor). In addition, this conference also had been supported by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and also the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB). The main reason this three-day event had been held was to provide a perfect platform for stakeholders to share their experiences and expand the positive impact of mobile throughout this vibrant and diverse region.
On day one 24th September 2019, much of discussion center around the economic impact of high speed connectivity. The fist keynote speaker Louise Easterbrook from GSMA was invited to give a speech based on the morning session topic “Forging Digital Societies Through Digital Platforms”. According to her speech, “The new industry revolution is all about intelligent connectivity such as 5G, Internet of Thing (IoT), Ai and Big Data. It’s is believing that this technology will transform the way we live, the way we work and the way we do business”.
Besides that, the Malaysia’s Minister of Communication and Multimedia YB Gobind Singh Deo also delivered his speech on this issues. He quotes that “Access to the internet is not a privilege nor a luxury, it is a necessity and indeed it is a survival tool for anyone, anywhere and anytime especially in Malaysia“. Another top industry leader also shared their organization’s position and experience related to this topic such as Tony Fernandes from AirAsia Group, Dr Hans Wijayasuriya from Axiata, Albern Murty from Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, Gokhan Ogut from Maxis Broadband Sdn Bhd, and Wing K. Lee from YTL Communications.
In the evening session, the topic was focusing more about “Governments Building Simple, Clear and Fast Public Services“. There were also a lot of discussion around the need to invest in retraining program to help mitigate the impact of digital disruptions. The keynote speaker for this session were Masayoshi Sakai (Japan), Pushpa Nair (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission), and Maya Arvani (Qlue).
On the next second day 25th September 2019, the discussion was focusing more on the inclusive growth narrowing the digital vibes of 5G connectivity and more affordable connectivity. The morning session started with a topic “A New Chapter of Connectivity for Asia-Pacific“. The keynote speaker for this session were Vince Kadar (CEO of Telepin), Brad Jones (CEO of Wave Money), Teddy Oetomo (CEO Bukalapak), Loke Hwee Wong (VP of APAC Boku), and Ling Wu (Founder & CEO of TBCA Soft).
While in the evening session, the topic focusing more about “Asia-Pacific’s Digital Lifestyles: Engine for Growth“.The keynote speaker for this session were Ea Chaillioux (VP Global Ecosystem Engagement, IDEMIA), Eulis Rachmatiah (Head of Ethics & Privacy Celcome Axiata), Jeremy Chappell (President & CEO of JESA Asia Pacific) and Rahul Sharma (Country Leader, India IAPP).
On the last day, the topic was focusing more on the lease development in the fast growing sector. The morning session start with the topic “Digital Commerce is Essential for Now and The Future“. The keynote speaker for this session were Al-Ishsal Ishak (Chairman of Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission), and Sohee Shin (SVP, Global Business Unit of KT).
While in the evening session, this 360 Digital Societies conference was closed with a topic “Secure and Consistent Digital Identity”. This topic was more to APAC IoT. The keynote speaker for this session were Michael Patent (CEO of Culture Group), Noelle Francesca De Guzman (Regional Policy Manager APAC Internet Society), Foong Yuh Wen (CEO of Sushivid) and Abdel Muqit Ahmed (Ceo of Banglalink).
In conclusion, this three-day conference was convened by government ministries, regulatory bodies, mobile network operators, academia, start-ups, and representatives from outside the digital ecosystem including transport, logistics, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and more. The main point of this conference was to discuss and gained more knowledge’s related to the digital transformation across APAC.
