Asia ICT

Underlining the rapid evolution under way in Mongolia's telecommunications sector, the state-run, land-line telecoms provider is cutting back while the main mobile players are introducing new features and announcing major international partnerships.

The telecommunications industry in Thailand is set for a busy year, with new 3G licences expected to be auctioned during the third quarter of 2012. At the same time, the sector’s regulator is working on a master plan that it plans to release in April.

Brunei Darussalam’s information and communication technology (ICT) sector is winning international recognition and moving closer to meeting the government’s objective of making the Sultanate a knowledge-based economy. However, the acceptance of ICT in daily life is by no means even throughout the country.

With the federal government targeting broadband penetration rates of 75% by the end of 2015, much work remains to be done in Sabah, which, at 33%, has the lowest penetration rate of all Malaysia’s states. Some progress has been seen in this regard recently, however, with several telecoms companies moving to boost their investments in Eastern Malaysia.

Mongolia’s government has marked this year’s 90th anniversary of its telecommunications sector by pledging new ICT services in health, the transport system and emergency management.

News that a Malaysian IT start-up company was bought by a large US outfit is a landmark acquisition that represents a significant step forward for entrepreneurism in the country.