Transition of Internet economy towards fully developed digital society a test to Asean
Published on: Wednesday, January 20, 2021
By: Bernama
Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia Secretary-General Datuk Seri Mohammad Mentek chairs the first Asean Digital Ministers’ Meeting.
Kuala Lumpur: The transition of an Internet economy towards a fully developed digital society among Asean member countries depend largely on two factors including the extent of the interconnection of networks in each state, according to the director and chief operating officer of a local e-hailing app, Gojo.Pradeep Kumar said the transition, which poses a challenge to Asean member states, also largely depends on the breadth of interoperability of network platforms in each member state.
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“Enabling the transition from an Internet economy to a fully developed digital society is a challenge for all countries within Asean, and one that will depend to a large extent upon two factors.
“Firstly is the extent of the interconnection of networks (giving rise to economies of scale); and the breadth of interoperability of network platforms (giving rise to economies of scope),” he told Bernama in an exclusive interview.
Pradeep said the governments of Asean member countries could take clear steps to encourage and accelerate the shift from basic connectivity for Internet access towards a more fully-interconnected and interoperable digital economy.
He said the benefits of a shift from the economies of scale of an Internet economy to the economies of scope of a digital economy will be truly transformative.
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Commenting further, he said the governments in Asean countries need to recognise the mobile centricity of their populations and adjust their Internet access and national digital economy plans accordingly, along with developing mobile-first programmes.
“Existing applications designed for the desktop can no longer be simply ‘retrofitted’ on to the mobile.
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“Applications and processes now need to be designed and made for mobile platforms – natively, if they are to work securely and intuitively,” he said, adding Gojo commenced operations in August last year.
Pradeep said government policies are needed to bridge the digital divide between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) firms and the goal of these policies should be to build an inclusive digital economy that benefits all parties.
He said that in order to achieve this, the government could consider ensuring affordable and high-quality digital infrastructure and encouraging the digitalisation of more advanced back-end processes, engaging SMEs regarding the availability of government initiatives and incentives, and expanding digitalisation incentives to all interested SMEs.
“In order to implement effectively the social distancing measures aimed at containing the further spread of Covid-19, our government have encouraged online purchasing as an alternative to physical shopping, and consumers have adapted their shopping patterns and behaviours to minimise risks of getting infected,” said Pradeep.
Malaysia is hosting the first Asean Digital Ministers’ Meeting (ADGMIN1) and related meetings via teleconference from Jan 18 to Jan 22.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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