ICT Masterplan To Provide Action Plans For Asean To Achieve Goals

The 10th Asean Telecommunications and IT Ministers (TELMIN) meeting here ended on a highly-successful note today with the launch of the Asean ICT Masterplan as a definitive action plan to enhance connectivity among South-East Asian nations and raised their competitiveness on the international arena.

With Malaysia playing host and facilitating deliberations on a common ground, the masterplan launched, would provide clear action plans in the next five years for Asean to position its future economic growth with ICT as a key enabler in empowering life and the regional economy.

Details of the plan formalised during the meeting would serve as a blueprint to propel the ICT sector to greater heights and reinforce its role for crucial Asean integration by 2015.

The two-day event was preceded by the 11th Asean Telecommunications & Information Technology Senior Officials meeting (TELSOM), with the masterplan being endorsed as a strategic document in charting Asean's ICT roadmap for the future.

ICT development in Asean has evolved at a phenomenal pace since its formative years.

There is now a new era of ICT brought about by its advancement and application in almost every facet of working and social lives.

In Asean today, ICT is a growth industry sector, employing more than 11.7 million people and contributing more than US$32 billion or more than three per cent to Asean's gross domestic product (GDP).

This is projected to grow significantly by 2015.

Above all, TELMIN expressed confidence that the masterplan which encapsulates a single shared vision driven by six strategic thrusts and four key outcomes, embodies the salient measures to propel Asean towards creating an inclusive, vibrant, integrated society and economy.

The four key outcomes outlined in the plan are ICT as an engine of growth for ASEAN countries, recognition of Asean as a global ICT hub, enhanced quality of life for the peoples of Asean and contribution towards Asean integration.

There are six strategic thrusts in the plan, namely, Economic transformation, People Empowerment and Engagement, Innovation, Infrastructure Development, Human Capital Development and Bridging the digital divide.

The digital divide will continue to be a challenge in Asean.

Minister of Information Communications and Culture, Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim was apt in cautioning that Asean, should not become complacent as there still remains a large segment of rural population which is under served and does not have the means to access the digital world.

A senior advisor to the Minister of Communication and Information Technology of Indonesia (for international relations and digitial divide), Prof Dr Kalamullah Ramli, said economic growth would expand 1.3 per cent with every 10 per cent improvement in ICT and the Indonesian government is committed to focussing on developing e-commerce in the republic.

"It would be difficult for the government to develop its ICT sectors, in terms of connectivity, due to geographical factors," Kalamullah told Bernama.

Under the plan, initiatives were proposed such as leveraging on Universal Service Obligation (USO) or similar policies with a view to include IT components and training as part of USO funding, advocate early ICT education, facilitate access to ICT devices such as laptops, smart phones and computers and promote public education on ICT for community development.

This is a challenge in making accessibility and affordability to rural communities, as in Asean, mobile and broadband services are considered luxuries.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak proposed that TELMIN should consider focusing resources on improving pan-Asean connectivity in order to lower the cost of bandwidth within it.

Unfortunately, inter-Asean connectivity still remains a challenge, as rolling out ubiquitous modern broadband networks requires huge investments.

Much of the connectivity within Asean still routes to the United States and Europe before reaching a fellow Asean country.

According to views from stakeholders consulted when developing the masterplan, the most challenging barriers to entry, were the high cost of entering the market and strong positioning of established competitors.

Lower intra-Asean roaming charges was one of the strategic thrusts of the plan.

Affordable ICT products as well as seamless e-services,content and applications were the other aspirations of the plan in enhancing the quality of life for all of Asean's people.

There is also the issue on connectivity in which investments would be required.

The plan has also proposed the establishment of an Asean Broadband Corridor, which is to identify and develop locations in each Asean member state, which offers quality broaband connectivity.

There are also plans to establish an Asean Internet Exchange Network where a regulator-operator forum will be established to develop a platform to facilitate intra-Asean internet traffic.

Peering will be facilitated amongst Asean internet access providers to improve latency and speeds as well as lower costs.

A common framework for information security will be developed for the sharing of best practices on the protection of data and information infrastructure across Asean.

Common minimum standards for network security will also be established to ensure a level of preparedness and integrity of networks across Asean.

The plan has also proposed development of a framework to facilitate transparent and harmonised ICT regulations.

The masterplan will be funded via existing Asean financing sources which include the Asean ICT fund, Asean Dialogue partners, International organisations and other public or private institutions.

It is expected that individual Asean member states will collaborate with the private sector through public-private partnerships (PPPs).

The deputy chief executive and Director-General (Telecoms and Post), of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, Leong Keng Thai said because of the manisfestation of different geographical factors among countries, there needs to be varied approaches in the development of ICT within the Asean region.

"We need to recognise the great diversity within Asean. In Asean we do it differently. We function by cooperation and collaboration with one another," he said.

(BERNAMA)