Asia ICT

With an increased emphasis on delivering connection quality and boosting the use of value-added services (VAS), Indonesia’s intensely competitive telecoms sector is in transition. This entails substantial investments in infrastructure and greater efforts by operators to improve service quality. Over the coming years, the structure of the sector may also change, as players collaborate more closely or even consolidate.

After almost two years of delay, Port Moresby is preparing for its imminent connection to Papua New Guinea’s (PNG’s) 10 gigabyte per second (GBps) fibre-optic gateway in Madang. Connected via a 750-km cable that will piggyback the ExxonMobil liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline, the new connection is expected to drastically reduce internet rates, thus serving as a catalyst for wholesale market change across the telecommunications sector.

The government is moving forward with one of its flagship projects, an initiative that aims to make the information and communications technology (ICT) sector – already a major contributor to the Malaysian economy – one of its largest components. However, if the state is to achieve its goals there are several issues to be addressed.

The extension of 3G services into more of Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) provinces and a flurry of foreign satellite communication investments have highlighted the potential – and the challenges – of investing in telecommunications in the country.

Thanks to the government’s incentives to take up the latest technology, along with a greater willingness among the private sector to take advantage of information and communications technology (ICT) in business, Brunei Darussalam’s ICT sector is witnessing some growth.

With data use growing strongly and existing capacity under pressure, Malaysia’s broadband network is undergoing necessary expansion to keep up with demand. Indeed, as penetration growth slows, improving speeds and service quality have become a priority.