Sarawak Government may consider setting up Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation to integrate the physical and virtual worlds in developing Sarawak Digital Economy in a wholesome manner.
Undoubtedly, Sarawak, in view of its strategic location and huge land mass, is a good place to develop technologies for the future, though it may not necessarily be on its own, but by hosting global companies. However, it must have a clear roadmap with specific timeline and a dedicated agency for the purpose.
Since Sarawak is new in ICT, it will seek advice experts from abroad, including Sarawakians, who have played prominent roles in the national IT initiatives, as it goes along the path of developing a world-class ICT infrastructure as a solid foundation to build the Digital Economy
Essentially, Sarawak must avoid the pitfalls of the pioneers as well strive to cost-efficient to providing ICT services to people in towns as well as those in remote villages in the jungle.
Sarawak must think in terms of welcoming relevant foreign direct investment to leap-frog in ICT development especially in major urban centers where the lifestyle fits the young and educated graduates, who are keen to work on cutting-edge technologies.
The development of the ICT infrastructure may include wireless long-term evolution (LTE) technology in future, as Sarawak has a huge landmass relation to the small population, which is mostly isolated in little pockets in the hinterland.
Generally, Sarawak can be an attractive place for global companies to undertake their research and development, as Kuching is only an hour and half away from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and three hours from Hong Kong. Hence, cost here is a fraction of those in cities for both R&D and working.
Chief Minister, Datuk Amar Abang Haji Johari Tun Openg in his speech at the Official launching of International ICT Infrastructure and Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (IDECS) 2017 – Transforming Sarawak through digital economy, there is quite a lot to say about Sarawak as a place for developing technologies for the future, not necessarily by itself but by hosting global companies.
He said the emphasis on the development of a proper infrastructure system for the development Digital economy – or Digital Sarawak is to create new jobs for young people in urban centers and rural areas and transform the way the people live and do business. It will create an entirely new dimension of development and growth for the State.
Besides, the Digital Economy will challenge the traditional models of doing business in Sarawak and allow young new entrepreneurs and business people to move forward to the front.
Datuk Amar Abang Haji Johari, said the State Government, realizing the importance of Digital Economy, is prepared to take the lead in building a world-class ICT infrastructure for Sarawak rather than leaving the future to commercial operators and service providers at the mercy of others; enough is enough.
He announced the State Government’s commitment to invest RM1billion for the development of ICT Infrastructures to ensure they will be fit to support the Digital Industries, and commerce and lure foreign investments into Sarawak.
He said Sarawak must have network speeds that are uninterrupted where data, video, media either through Wi-Fi or mobile device can be transmitted anytime or any moment without buffering.
He highlighted the fact that the broadband coverage in Sarawak is only 51.8% households. Among the populated areas, broadband coverage is 72.1% with blind spots. This means there is no cover for lowly populated areas.
He said the average wired network speed for Sarawak is estimated at 4 mbps per household. This is nearly seven (7) times slower than South Korea with a network speed of 29 mbps per household according to AKAMAI, World Network Audit Organization.
SnapChat is changing chatting environment with online comments and video streaming. GrabCar and Uber are changing the taxi industry. All these digital initiatives will be part of the Digital Village Youth entrepreneur development.
Datuk Amar Abang Haji Johari said the world is now in the Fourth Industrial Revolution – the merging of elements of the physical, digital and biological worlds, to be characterized by cyber-physical systems, cloud computing, mobile technologies, Internet of Things and Internet of Systems as well as innovations in areas as smart robotics, learning machines and self-driving cars.
He believed the development of a proper infrastructure system for the development Digital economy or Digital Sarawak will be an exciting new era where new successful entrepreneurs can be created.
Generally, the ordinary people hope with the Digital Economy they would be able to sell their goods and services on the Internet. Hence, Digital Economy has significant impact on the real economy in terms of design, marketing, production and distribution.
However, there will be serious implications for transport and logistics, especially when the people think that the Digital Economy can bring significant improvements to their livelihoods; those living in remote areas in the hinterland, for example, wish to network with the rest of the world.
In fact, the Digital Economy can be exciting as it can provide an added dimension to the economic justification for building basic infrastructure facilities in remote areas. However, Sarawak must have strong and powerful information technology, high-caliber cyber security and thriving cyber culture.
Datuk Amar Abang Haji Johari said the people, with the concrete program to develop ICT facilities, can visualize that one day that the Penans in the jungles of Murum in the hinterland of Sarawak can sell their special hand-woven mats direct on the internet through the E-Commerce to someone in the UK.
By then young men and women sitting in their air-conditioned spaces in Kuching and other urban centres, doing research and development can sell their services to clients around the world. Needless to say, all new houses built from now onwards in Sarawak must be fibre-ready.
In the era of the Digital Economy young people can learn according to their interests and capabilities, taking lessons anywhere in the world, rather than be subject only to the curriculum set by the national education policy.
By then tourists from anywhere in the world can enjoy a multimedia experience from their homes through an augmented virtual reality and end up actually visiting the spot in Sarawak.
In this connection, Datuk Amar Abang Haji Johari suggested that the tourism industry should consider using 3D tourism advertisements to attract people in cold countries to come and visit Sarawak to get a feel of the sunny beaches and traditional longhouses or villages.
He said in the era of the Digital Economy, government services will be well digitized and automated that no one has to deal with civil servants anymore; they can get their things approved quickly.
By then civil servants can spend their time trying to improve cyber security and making policies and regulations more responsive to the rapidly changing reality and to enhance public and business community confidence in digital technology.
Of course, the people can also visualize that the public transport will be driven by artificial intelligent system, which is driverless and they can move around safely by sheer instruction on mobile device.
By then a city will be run on many smart solutions where, for example, the health of the people can be monitored and diagnosed through smart remote detection.
The Internet of Things helps to manage the daily routine life style of the people by integrating various applications to ease household chores, enhancing home security and increasing the people’s ability to make their live much better and more productive.
Sarawak, with the Digital Economy, could expect to enhance the experience and improve the quality of life and welfare of the people. Generally, Sarawak will be happy and safe place with superb quality of life with the advancement of application of technologies with real human touch.
The State, while embracing Digital Technologies into the lives of the people and the system in both the public and private sectors must ensure cyber security being put in place to ensure national security and realize modernization. Obviously, Sarawak must have strong and powerful information technology, high-caliber cyber security and thriving cyber culture.
In this regards, the State government may also consider setting Sarawak Multimedia and Communications Authority to manage the specifications and implementation for the needs of Sarawak and set own rules and regulations and policies.
Generally, new digital products with artificial intelligence can slowly control individual behaviors by memorizing peculiarities and responding according to quirks and idiosyncrasies. Some people may allow digital products to tell them what to do.
Datuk Amar Abang Haji Johari, who is reputed to have strong passion for ICT development, had great hopes in his mind and looked forward to the results of the deliberations of delegates in the next two days of IDECS 2017.
The International ICT Infrastructure and Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (IDECS) 2017 brought in a new dimension from the international conferences or seminars ever being held in the State by bring in experts , mostly those who have previous connection with Sarawak, who have played prominent roles in the national IT initiatives
