SIEM REAP - The Honourable Dato Seri Setia Haji Mustappa bin Haji Sirat, Minister of Communications headed the Brunei Darussalam delegation to the 17th ASEAN Telecommunications & Information Technology Ministers Meeting (17th TELMIN) and its related meetings held in Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia on 30 November – 1 December 2017.
The 17th TELMIN Meeting and its related meetings were preceded by the 18th ASEAN Telecommunications and Information Technology Senior Officials Meeting (18th TELSOM) and its related meetings held from 27 - 29 November 2017. Brunei Darussalam’s Head of Delegation for this meeting was Yang Mulia Awang Haji Azhar Haji Ahmad, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications, joined by senior officials from the Ministry of Communications and Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry Brunei Daurssalam (AITI).
The 17th ASEAN TELMIN was officiated by His Excellency Mr. Bin Chhin, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister, Acting Minister in charge of Office of Council of Ministers, a High Representative of Samdech Akka Maha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of Kingdom of Cambodia.
During the opening ceremony, The Honourable Dato Seri Setia Haji Mustappa bin Haji Sirat, Minister of Communications, delivered his speech in his capacity as the outgoing Chair of TELMIN. In his speech, The Honourable Minister of Communications made reference to ASEAN’s 50th Anniversary by reflecting briefly on the progress and achievement of ASEAN in cooperation for economic progress and peace.
The Honourable Minister also touched on the ICT Development Index 2017 which was published by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) which offers a useful benchmark on ICT development that takes into consideration the key requirements of access, usage and skills. Hence, in anticipation of the wave of opportunities and challenges arising from innovations of the 4th Industrial Revolution, it was also emphasized that ASEAN must endeavor to invest in infrastructure and human capital to enhance its ICT readiness as well as reducing the existence of digital divide within ASEAN.
The 17th ASEAN TELMIN Meeting, which was chaired by His Excellency Tram Iv Tek, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Cambodia, carries the theme ICT Connectedness and Readiness : Towards a Digitally Integrated Community.
The key outcomes of the 17th ASEAN TELMIN are:-
i) Implementation of the ASEAN ICT Masterplan 2020 (AIM2020)
During the 17th ASEAN TELMIN, the Ministers reiterated the importance of ICT development and progress especially in the areas such as digital divide, human capacity building, cyber security and accessibility of services, which are in line with the Strategic Thrusts of AIM2020. The progress in the implementation of AIM 2020 will be measured in accordance to the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) as adopted during the Meeting.
The 17th ASEAN TELMIN has endorsed 15 activities to be implemented in the 2018 Work Cycle. Also included among these activities are the ASEAN Cyberkids Camp 2018 which will be led by Brunei Darussalam, and a joint project between Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia, titled Opportunities and Challenges of Over-the-Top (OTT) Services’ Regulation, and recommended approaches, and principles on net neutrality.
The Ministers adopted the ASEAN International Mobile Roaming Framework, which will provide travellers and businesses with transparent and more affordable access to international mobile roaming services within ASEAN.
For 2018, the Ministers welcomed the Work Plan for the development of an ASEAN Framework on Digital Data Governance and Related Working Group, which among others intended to foster an environment that encourages digital adoption, data flows and data innovation for the benefit of ASEAN citizens.
The Ministers welcomed the proposed ASEAN Mobile Quality of Experience (QoE) Assessment Models to promote innovative services and mobile applications through a customer-centric approach to measuring service quality.
The Ministers were also pleased with the successful implementations and outcomes of collaboration activities, such as 2017 ASEAN Maker Hackathon (Makerthon), the ASEAN ICT Awards and Startups@ASEAN programme.
ii) Siem Reap Declaration
The Ministers adopted the Siem Reap Declaration on ICT Connectedness and Readiness: Towards a Digitally-Integrated Community to advance the ASEAN’s vision of establishing an innovative and inclusive community, whereby the stakeholders will be able to fully capitalise on the technological advancement to further improve their wellbeing.
iii) Cooperation with Dialogue Partners
During the 17th ASEAN TELMIN, the ASEAN Ministers also met with their counterparts from the dialogue partners, namely People’s Republic of China, Japan, Republic of Korea and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
At the 12th ASEAN TELMIN + China Meeting, the Ministers endorsed the 2018 ASEAN-China ICT Work Plan, which covers activities for information exchange and cooperation in the areas of ICT development and regulatory policies such as 5G technology, digital economy, capacity building on network security emergency response and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) cross-border e-business development.
To continue the valued ASEAN-China working relationship and further strengthen the collaboration between ASEAN and China, the Ministers agreed to renew the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on ICT Cooperation for the period from 2018 to 2022.
At the 12th ASEAN TELMIN + Japan, the Ministers endorsed the 2018 ASEAN-Japan ICT Work Plan which supports the implementation of the AIM2020. In 2017, Japan has supported ASEAN in in various areas of cooperation in 2017, including the Symposium on ICT for Public Safety, and the Feasibility Study on Establishing an ASEAN Cybersecurity Cooperation Hub.
Brunei Darussalam has also benefitted from this cooperation whereby Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) and National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) co-hosted the The ICT Virtual Organisation of ASEAN Institutes and NICT (ASEAN IVO) Forum in Bandar Seri Begawan on 23rd November 2017.
At the 12th ASEAN TELMIN + Republic of Korea Meeting, the Ministers endorsed the 2018 ASEAN-Korea ICT Work plan to further extend cooperation with the aim of fostering innovation, developing digital skills, establishing IT centre as well as enhancing information security.
During the meeting 5th ASEAN TELMIN + International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Meeting, the Ministers reiterated ASEAN’s commitment to pursue policy and regulatory dialogue with its Dialogue Partners and ITU and called for greater participation from the private sector to enhance connectivity and innovation in ASEAN through the development of knowledge and digital skill sets, as well as greater access to quality ICT infrastructure, services, applications and technologies, so as to support the goals of the ASEAN Community.
The Ministers offers their deepest condolences upon learning the passing of Dr Surin Pitsuwan, former ASEAN Secretary General. Dr Surin took office as ASEAN Secretary General from 2008 to 2012, where, he played, among others, important role taking ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) forward into the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), which finally kick off at the start of 2016.
The Ministry of Communications and AITI places high significance and priority on ASEAN TELSOM / TELMIN, being a key platform where regional collaboration can be leveraged upon to achieve more progress in enhancing the connectivity for Brunei Darussalam.
Through ASEAN TELSOM/ TELMIN, the capabilities of local stakeholders can also be further enriched through the opportunities of networking, human capacity building, harmonization of standards, nurturing of creativity and innovation at the ASEAN level.
Hence, the Ministry of Communications greatly encourages the participation of local stakeholders and actively interact with their regional counterparts in the collaborative projects under AIM2020. In this regards, AITI as the implementing and coordinating agency will continue to engage more local players and stakeholders, and facilitate their participation in the collaborative projects on ASEAN.
This is further complemented by the activities identified under the work plans with the individual dialogue partners (China, Japan, Republic of Korea, India, United States, EU and the ITU) that can give wider exposure for our local participants.
AIM2020 can serve as a guideline for ICT leaders, innovators and enthusiasts to share knowledge and showcase their potentials to ASEAN. ICT players and relevant agencies should take interest in AIM2020 and use it as a stepping stone for adopting up-and-coming ICT trends and innovation.
The ASEAN TELMIN Meeting is held annually and attended by ASEAN Ministers responsible for ICT, to discuss on the progress of ASEAN cooperation to further improve ICT development and connectivity in the region. The 18th ASEAN TELMIN meeting will be held in Indonesia tentatively in September 2018.
Prepared by:
Ministry of Communications
Brunei Darussalam
2nd December 2017
