Expert urges Brunei to harness 'IT power'

BRUNEI Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry players yesterday were lauded for their efforts in keeping pace with technology, but were asked by a telecoms expert the bigger question of what they intended to do with this advantage.

"Compared to the region, you have a very good standard of adoption of technology, there's no doubt about it. The services operators here have deployed are on par or sometimes even better than some (other) countries in the region," said Fadi Pharaon, Ericsson Telecommunications' Country Manager for Singapore and Brunei.

He added, "That is not the issue, you have the broadband capability, you have the adoption of technology, (and) you have the access to Internet."

However, the country might want to "harness" becoming the centre of development of these new ideas and to create technologies that are more "made in Brunei" than being imported, he told his audience at an industry talk organised by the Authority for Info-communications Technology of Brunei Darussalam (AiTi).

"I do think this is why we see these kind of steps such as the creation of the iCentre (in Anggerek Desa) and in the future, the knowledge hub. So the country is very much looking at attracting these entrepreneurs and creating a beneficial environment for them and we are extremely pleased to see these kinds of ambitions and numerous actions leading towards that," Pharaon said.

"There is a healthy competition here (in Brunei), healthy update of services and we would be very honoured to continue to collaborate with the Bruneian ICT companies," he added.

Pharaon's talk yesterday focused on the latest trends in technology, aimed at ensuring that Brunei is not outpaced by new technology.

During the event, Pharaon presented a slideshow of the possible future technological advancements around the globe that Brunei ICT companies should be aware of.

He encouraged the companies' representatives to provide suggestions on how Brunei can keep up with the pace of technology.

The AiTi event was aimed at providing a platform for the ICT industry players to learn about the latest trends in technology from an experienced international ICT firm.

More than 40 representatives from the local ICT industry players, telecommunications operators as well as senior officers from AiTi and the E-Government Technical Authority Body (EGTAB) attended the talk. The Brunei Times