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SPEECH BY

THE HONORABLE PEHIN ORANG KAYA HAMZAH PAHLAWAN

DATO SERI SETIA AWANG HAJI ABDULLAH

BIN BEGAWAN MUDIM DATO PADUKA HAJI BAKAR,

MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

 WORLD TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SOCIETY DAY 2015

(WTISD 2015)

WEDNESDAY, 20 MAY 2015, 9:00AM

DEWAN SERI KERNA, BLOCK B13, AITI

BISMILLAHIRRAHMANIRRAHIM.

ALHAMDULILLAH HI RABBIL 'ALAMEEN WASSALTU WASSALMU 'ALA ASYRAFIL AMBIYAA IWAL MURSALEEN.  SAYYIDINA MUHAMMADIN WA'ALA AALIHI WASAHBIHI AJMA'EEN.

Yang Mulia Pg Hj Mohd Zain bin Pg Hj Abdul Razak, Chief Executive, AITI and Chairman of WTISD Committee

Yang Mulia Awang Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yusof, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communications, and Chairman of AITI

Permanent Secretaries

Deputy Permanent Secretaries

Members of the Authority, Directors and Senior Officials, Invited Speakers, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen;

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh and selamat sejahtera,

1.1  Alhamdulillah, I am pleased to be here today, to celebrate World Telecommunications and Information Society Day 2015 with all of you.

1.2  The theme for this year's celebration is "Telecommunications and ICTs: Drivers of innovation".  From this theme, it allows us to reflect on our achievement and strategise our future plans to reap the social and economic benefits of what the digital economy can offer.

2.1  Brunei Darussalam's Wawasan 2035 aims to achieve well-educated and highly skilled people, improved quality of life, and a dynamic and sustainable economy.

2.2  With Wawasan 2035 as the main guiding principle, the Ministry of Communications has formulated "Strategic Plan 2008-2017" to attain our vision towards a Smart Society by 2017.

2.3  What does this vision means in today's context? What do we want to achieve? A Smart Society powered by innovation.

2.4  Therefore, ICT development has been identified and prioritised as one of the key sectors to widen the economic base through innovation.

2.5 However, Innovation cannot be achieved in silos. It has a joint ownership. It requires combined set of forces from government, industry and academia to collaboratively produce skilled local ICT professionals, products and solutions. 

2.6  Hence, innovation is critical to support Wawasan 2035 and diversify the economic base. We must establish coherent linkages among all stakeholders in the innovation eco-system such as policy makers, industry players, institutions and the general public

3.1  Speaking of innovation, according to the Global Innovation Index (GII), co-published by Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization, the GII recognises the key role of innovation as a driver of economic growth and well-being.  UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon describes the GII as a "unique tool for refining innovation policies… for providing an accurate picture on the role of science, technology and innovation in sustainable development".

3.2  In 2014, the Global Innovation Index with the theme 'Human Factor in Innovation', ranked Brunei Darussalam at number 88 out of 143. We are seen as a "below-par" performer according to the scores plotted against Gross Domestic Product per capita due to institutions, market and business sophistication. 

3.3   For Brunei Darussalam to improve its innovation performance, priorities must be given to academic and research institutions to have interactive processes involving human capital and technology to produce new inventions and product ideas into marketable products, applications and services.

4  Currently, Brunei Darussalam organises various ICT programs and initiatives to drive innovation such as:-

i.  Brunei ICT Awards to stimulate innovation and creativity in the ICT industry amongst individuals;

ii.  INSPIRE program to provide opportunities for students to work in Singapore's ICT, Broadcasting and Media companies;

iii.  IGNITE Entrepreneurship Challenge to bring quality business plans;

iv.  The INNOVATE Forum which shares latest ICT innovation and entrepreneurship trends; and

v. The IMMERSE Multimedia Program which identifies local potential in digital multimedia.

5.1  On top of that, policy and regulatory frameworks are in place to support the innovation:

i.   The launch of a National Broadband Policy to ensure the population of Brunei Darussalam is provided with broadband connectivity in accordance to industry standards at competitive and affordable prices

ii.  The reviewing of existing ICT Regulatory Frameworks is now in the final stages.  Once finalized and put in place, this aims to facilitate the growth of ICT and multimedia industry, encouraging competition and innovation in a converged sector;

iii.  The formulation of a National ICT Whitepaper with the airm to provide a strong foundation for the nation towards achieving its long term ICT vision.  It will further strengthen existing ICT programmes, identify key performance indicators, recommend strategies and prioritise programmes to meet the strategic goals identified by Wawasan 2035; and

iv.  The development of a National ICT Manpower Masterplan to support of the Vision 2035 towards educated and highly skilled people. It aims to harness ICT skills towards productivity and innovation across many sectors of the economy.

5.2  But these are not enough. There is much to learn from the Scandinavian countries that demonstrate rising levels of innovation results.  These countries have notably improved their relations across various innovation stakeholders in universities, public research, the government and private sectors.

5.3  In the Brunei Darussalam context, there are however still several areas for improvement. One of the key areas that need special attention is how institutions play a proactive role in the creation of applications, diffusion of knowledge, human capital and technology.

6.1   The Internet is an unprecedented innovation.  We can see phenomenal changes in technology, economy and society: from eGovernment and eCommerce to new ways of communication through social media.

6.2   According to the Internet Society Global Internet Report 2014, the first annual series of Global Internet Reports where it highlights trends and principles to sustain the growth of the Internet, it is predicted that there will be at least 3 billion internet users by 2015 globally. The development of the Internet has changed our day-to-day interaction, work and the way we conduct business.

6.3  Among the greatest beneficiaries from digital economy are start-up entrepreneurs who capitalised on the Internet's empowering influence. Let us look at Foodpanda for instance. It was set up in 2012 and is now active in 40 countries including Brunei Darussalam. The income is estimated to be around USD310 million within 3 years of its establishment.  This is innovation in action where it is convenient for the customers and at the same time, rewarding for the service provider.

7.1       The Internet is indeed, one of the key enablers for innovation.  The Internet can also be further leveraged beyond recreational and entertainment purposes.  The Ministry of Communications, through AITI, strives to ensure the availability and reliability of Internet connectivity for the users in Brunei Darussalam.

7.2  Let me now share Internet connectivity from the context of Radio-Frequency (RF) Spectrum.The  We may not realise it, but RF Spectrum plays an important role in almost everything we use on a daily basis.  

7.3   An example of Radio-Frequency Spectrum used on a daily basis is WI-FI that connects your device to the internet. Your mobile phones use the frequency that has been assigned to the mobile operators, DST or Progresif Cellular.  Hence, RF Spectrum can be regarded as infrastructure for innovation.

7.4  However, Radio-Frequency Spectrum needs to be managed appropriately without any interference. It must be regulated to avoid finite resources. Hence, the Radio Spectrum Plan, which will be launched today, details current utilization of frequency spectrum in Brunei Darussalam, and also how AITI plans to develop it further in future.

7.5  With the launch of "Radio Spectrum Plan", I hope AITI will continue to course the enormous socio-economic potential of mobile connectivity through the timely release of suitable spectrum to the industry. The responsibility to harmonise spectrum internationally shall ensure the industry to realise the economies of scale and deliver services that work across national borders.

8.1   Finally, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and thank AITI for organising this event.

8.2   Also I would like to express my gratitude to the invited speakers and guests for making this event successful.

8.3  I hope that we all will be inspired in developing better innovation, creativity and collaboration in the future for our country, Brunei Darussalam.

8.4  Thank you. Sekian, Wabillahi Taufik Wal Hidayah Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh​