The inaugural Asian Infocomm Roundtable was held on 6 June, in conjunction with CommunicAsia2000, currently taking place in Singapore until 9 June. High-level government and industry representatives from around the Asia-Pacific met to discuss the Internet revolution and its impact in this region. At the...
Singapore, 7 June 2000 | For Immediate ReleaseThe inaugural Asian Infocomm Roundtable was held on 6 June, in conjunction with CommunicAsia2000, currently taking place in Singapore until 9 June. High-level government and industry representatives from around the Asia-Pacific met to discuss the Internet revolution and its impact in this region. At the end of the session, the participants reaffirmed their joint commitment to ensure that the Asia-Pacific region benefits from this technological revolution.
The Roundtable was moderated by Hoyt Zia, Executive Director of the Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC) and Valerie D'Costa, Chair of the APEC Telecommunications Working Group. The issues addressed included widening access to new technologies and services, facilitating the growth of Internet infrastructure, and spurring the development of Asian content and strategies for harnessing and nurturing Asian talent.
The Roundtable saw a spirited start with a discussion about the threat of the digital divide in Asia. With the e-commerce business-to-consumer market estimated to hit US$100 billion, and the business-to-business market estimated at US$1 trillion by 2004 (source: The Gartner Group), the widening gap between information 'haves' and 'have-nots' is an issue which needs to be addressed in the Asia Pacific region. Some participants commented that more affordable consumer devices and the equitable cost-sharing of Internet bandwidth could be ways to bridge this divide.
Moving on to Internet content development, it was acknowledged that the creation of services attractive to Asians was key to the growth of the Internet in the region. There was a call to enhance Asian solidarity by creating regional Internet exchanges, which would ultimately, result in more affordable Internet bandwidth links. Increasing creation of local content and enabling cross-recognition of certification authorities would also facilitate more intra-Asian traffic.
Security on the Internet was another issue discussed during the Roundtable. Most industry participants argued that the perception of the lack of Net security was worse than the reality. Public education programmes were suggested as a means to increase awareness in this area. The participants also stressed the need for robust security systems, which are integral to the development of e-commerce in the region.
Rounding up the session was a discussion on the increasing trend of the 'brain-drain' of Asian infocomm talent to other parts of the world. A possible means to overcome this was the setting up of regional bases, which would allow infocomm talent to contribute to their home economies.
At the conclusion of the 4-hour Roundtable, Asia's most influential public and private sector thinkers agreed that it was a useful platform for regional debate of pertinent info-communications issues.
INFOCOMM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE
About Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is a dynamic organisation with an integrated perspective to developing, promoting and regulating info-communications in Singapore. In the fast-changing and converging spheres of telecommunications, information and media technologies, IDA will be the catalyst for change and growth in Singapore's evolution into a vibrant global info-communications technology centre. For more information, please visit www.imda.gov.sg.
About CommunicaAsia2000
CommunicAsia2000 is the region's premier info-communications trade show and conference. Organised by the Singapore Exhibition Services, it is held from 6-9 June at the Singapore Expo. Into its 12th showing, the focus of this year's event will be the leading-edge technologies which address the converged sectors of IT, telecommunications and the media. For more information, please contact:
Ms Jean KHOO
Public Relations Manager
Singapore Exhibition Services
Tel: (65) 6233-8625
Fax: (65) 6835-3040
E-mail: jk@sesmontnet.com
About PTC
The Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC) is an international non-profit non-governmental membership organisation which brings together all those with an interest in telecommunications and information systems/services in the Pacific Hemisphere. PTC serves the digital information age through a major annual conference, regional seminars, a respected quarterly magazine, PTR (Pacific Telecommunications Review), and a variety of other services and activities. For more information, visit the PTC website or contact Hoyt Zia, Executive Director, PTC.
About APEC TEL
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Telecommunications Working Group (APEC TEL) was formed in 1989 to address human resource development, technology transfer and regional cooperation, opportunities for on-site visits, observerships/fellowships, and telecommunications standardisation. Today, APEC TEL's 21 member economies include all the major economies of the region and the most dynamic, fastest growing economies in the world. For more information, visit www.apii.or.kr or contact Valerie D'Costa, Chair of APEC TEL.
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