SPEECH BY
YANG
BERHORMAT PEHIN ORANG KAYA HAMZAH PAHLAWAN
DATO
SERI SETIA AWANG HAJI ABDULLAH
BIN
BEGAWAN MUDIM DATO PADUKA HAJI BAKAR
MINISTER
OF COMMUNICATIONS, BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
PROGRESIF
NEW FLAGSHIP STORE OPENING AND BRAND LAUNCH 2015
FRIDAY,
1ST MAY 2015 @ 7:30PM
BLOCK
'A', AN-NUHA TANJUNG BUNUT,
PROGRESIF BRANCH
NEGARA
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
Alhamdulillahi
Rabbil 'Alamin Wassalatu wassalamu 'ala Asyrafil Anbia-i Wal-Mursalin
Sayyidina Wa Maulana Muhammadin Wa-a'ala Alihi Wa-Sahbihi Ajma'een.
Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Awang Haji Bahrin bin Abdullah, Deputy Minister of Finance as Chairman of Darussalam Assets.
Yang
Mulia Awang Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka
Haji Awang Mohd Yusof, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications
as Chairman of AITI.
Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Awang Haji Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of Darussalam Assets
Yang
Mulia Awang Haji Abu Bakar bin Haji Ibrahim, Deputy Permanent
Secretary, Ministry of Finance as Chairman of Progresif Cellular Sdn Bhd
Mr. Paul Hyde, Chief Executive Officer of Progresif Cellular
Progresif
Board Members, Directors and Head of Departments, Senior Management and
Officers, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh dan a Very Good Evening to All.
1.
It gives me great pleasure to be here as a guest of Progresif and to be
a part of the launching the new corporate brand and flagship retail
store. My heartiest congratulations to Progresif on this initiative.
2.
Telecommunications technology impacts almost every aspect of our lives.
It affects the way we do business, the way we manage our time, the way
we keep in touch with each other, and the way we build our collective
human experiences.
3.
The rate of development of telecommunications products and services has
increased dramatically over the last decade and shows no sign of
slowing. It is in fact one of the fastest growing businesses sectors
globally, and as communication grows so does culture and commerce.
Ladies and gentlemen,
4.
According to a statement by Gartner Inc. back in 2013, Internet of
Things or IoT will create $1.9 trillion of economic value add with over
30 billion connected devices will be in use by 2020. It was envisaged
that digitalisation of our social, economy and lifestyle would
significantly change the technology market through the Internet of
Things that encompasses "things", people, places and systems.
5.
With that trend, analysts were confident that Internet of Things would
create new markets and a new economy. The traditional IT market is
expected not going to grow at a faster rate and in fact the increased
growth will come from the non-traditional IT market. While in 2015 the
combined IT and telecom market will hit nearly $4 trillion, the
incremental revenue generated by the Internet of Things' suppliers is
estimated to reach $309 billion per year by 2020. Half of this activity
will be new start-ups and 80% will be in services rather than in
products. In 2009, there were 2.5 billion connected devices, which
mostly were mobile phones, PCs and tablets. In 2020, there will be over
30 billion devices connected, of far greater variety.
6.
With these phenomena, Internet of Things is a strategically important
market that will accelerate fast and will drive both revenue generation
and cost efficiencies. Therefore, with this industry outlook, the
national and international info-communications infrastructure will be
utilised more by communications between devices as compared to voice
service. Hence the importance of fast, secured and robust communication
network with more application that can enhance the lives of people and
business processes.
7.
In 2001, Brunei's mobile penetration was only 32%, by 2014 however, it
had reached a penetration of around 121%, bringing it on par with major
global markets. This growth was possible as a result of significant
investment in infrastructure and the introduction of healthy
competition. This development helped grow the economy by creating jobs,
developing entrepreneurial spirit into small businesses. It helped our
culture to grow by providing greater access to information, and
enhancing the fundamental human need to communicate.
8.
On this note, I am pleased to see collaborative synergies between
operators and the regulator to ensure a level playing field for fair
competition in our small local market. With the recent new regulatory
directive and implementation to remove mobile termination charges by
eliminating receiving call charges by operators, this is one initiative
that we hope will pave the way for more opportunities in ensuring the
sustainable growth of the local telecommunications and ICT industry.
9.
I was made to understand that since the inception of Progresif Cellular
Sdn. Bhd and with the launching of its innovative product and services
coupled with steps to revolutionise it's pricing, the Progresif's
customer base has increased significantly to more than 30%. This is
quite a promising achievement and I look forward to seeing further
developments by Progresif in this this near future.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
10.
I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage mobile
operators to work with their overseas partners' networks to reduce the
International Roaming Rates for Voice Calls, SMS, Video Calls and Data.
Indeed last year, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore Regulators have signed
and worked together with mobile operators in the two countries to
reduce the mobile roaming rates. I urge all stakeholders to explore and
increase similar collaborative efforts in support of our endeavour for a
fully connected and Smart Society.
11.
In my recent engagement in APEC comprising of Ministers responsible for
Telecommunications and IT with Industry Dialogue partners, I have
reiterated the three (3) main thrust for the development of future APEC
economies in relation to the Investing ICT for the future growth. They
are:
i) The ICT environment which is safe and reliable;
ii) The economic developments which are sustainable; and
iii) Increase the social benefits.
12. There are, however still areas that require special attention in achieving digital economy among others such as :-
i)
Improvement and enhancement of communications network and heightening
the cybersecurity for ensuring the network reliability and robustness;
ii) Improvement in connectivity in all aspect of physical, institutional, people-to-people and online connectivity; and
iii)
A well-planned and accessible infrastructure with programmes and
initiatives for outreach programs, economy engagement, consumer
protection and minimising the entry barriers such as licensing and
technical requirements.
13.
On this note, I would also like to encourage our Telco players and
their local partners to join affiliation and membership such as in ITU,
APEC and ASEAN and the respective sub-fora, expert groups, committees
and forums. There are vast knowledge and sharing of best practice that
the industry can feed to government as the policy maker and to the
regulator in promoting conducive environment that stimulates healthy
competition and collaborations among service providers and players.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
14.
We have come a long way over the last decade. In this fast changing and
dynamic ICT industry with high customer expectations, there is always a
great demand for information to be handled faster and better every day.
Therefore, to remain relevant, we must constantly challenge and review
the way we do things be it in new tecnologies or new business
innovation.
15.
Lastly, thank you for the opportunity to be here this evening to join
in your celebration. My heartiest congratulations to the management and
staff of Progresif for what they have made the company to where it is
today.
Thank you.
Sekian, Wabillahi Taufik Wal Hidayah Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
