IIC EVENTS: ASIA TMF – ASEAN DIGITAL MASTERPLAN

By Russell Seekins

The IIC’s annual Asia Telecommunications & Media Forum returned, online, from 8 to 10 February 2022 with a focus on how the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as a leading digital community and economic bloc, will utilise digital services, technologies and ecosystems to build the digital economy and digital society.
Set against the main global issues of COVID-19 pandemic recovery, the increasingly urgent need to address climate
change and global technology trends, the forum discussed building a more interconnected region, driving affordable broadband and 5G access in rural and urban areas, demand stimulation and supporting the creative economy. Emerging hot topics for regulators and policymakers were also on the agenda – the “metaverse” and its implications, tech and sustainability post COP26, artificial intelligence regulation, online platforms and misinformation.