KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia hopes to pique the interest of potential investors, particularly in the digital economy, through its participation in GITEX Global 2023, which will be held from Oct 16 to 20 at the Dubai World Trade Centre in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil who will lead the country’s delegation to GITEX Global 2023, said during a panel discussion at the exhibition, Malaysia will share its experience in implementing the 5G network with the companies.
“Looking at Malaysia’s experience in implementing the 5G network, we can see that it happened quite swiftly, since we managed to build about 7,000 5G towers in two years. This is an outstanding accomplishment, and it would not have been possible without the commitment and will of Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), the government, and the corporate sector.
“So this is one of the experiences we can tell the world, along with switching from the single wholesale network to a dual network model, because it has never been done before and Malaysia pioneered it,” he told reporters Tuesday.
Fahmi hoped that with such exposure, foreign nations would recognise the true potential of Malaysia, which could become not only a data processing centre hub but also an operations base for any company seeking to extend operations in the Asian region.
GITEX Global is the largest and most comprehensive technology exhibition in the digital economy, as it will showcase the latest trends, product innovations, and bring visitors closer to innovative technology start-ups in the areas of Metaverse, Web 3.0, Quantum, 6G, Blockchain, and artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Meanwhile, when asked about what form of action will be taken against TikTok if its management continues to refuse to engage in discussions with the government, Fahmi said the social media operator should be given some time to make the necessary preparations.
“It’s true that we had previously requested a meeting with TikTok, but there was a scheduling issue, but we are ready to meet, and I believe they are also willing to cooperate.
“It’s just that they may need some time to collect data before presenting it to the Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and us (the Communications and Multimedia Ministry),” he said.
Fahmi said there was a need to discuss the matter because several issues have arisen over the TikTok Shop, particularly those relating to the personal data of app users.
“This situation is quite alarming in Indonesia, but in Malaysia, we need to look at its suitability because I see that TikTok Shop and similar platforms have both positive and negative effects on traders.
“So we have to consider which one is more (beneficial) so that we can finally work on a win-win solution that benefits Malaysia without affecting the security aspects,” he said.
Last Saturday, Fahmi said that the government would look into the action taken by the Indonesian government to ban e-commerce transactions on the social media platform TikTok before devising appropriate measures in the country.
The minister said he had received complaints from members of the public who expressed concern about the action, and at the same time, several large stores also raised issues related to price competition for products sold through the platform.
— NNN-BERNAMA
