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Tag: asia

  • Nokia, UTS to establish 5G skills accelerator in Australia

    Nokia, UTS to establish 5G skills accelerator in Australia

    Nokia has teamed up with Australia’s University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to launch a new training facility aimed at broadening the skills base of Australia’s communications industry in 5G and other advanced communications technologies.

    The new Nokia 5G Skills Accelerator will provide UTS students, staff, industry personnel and Nokia customers, business partners and employees with access to cutting edge 5G technologies and training practices.

    It will focus on technology domains that will underpin the delivery of fixed and mobile high speed communications. These areas will include radio access, IP routing, optical and core networks, fixed broadband access, security and IoT platforms.

    More than 1,000 students and industry personnel are expected to attend the Nokia 5G Skills Accelerator at UTS next year, Nokia said.

    “Australia will be among the world leaders in 5G adoption and can be a pacesetter in the development of new mission-critical services in areas like industrial IoT,” Nokia head of Oceania Zoltan Losteiner said.

    “We need to accelerate the development of the right skills and knowledge to ensure Australia can reap the full benefits, and Nokia is proud to partner with UTS in this new national training facility.”

    Nokia is also a member of the UTS Rapido program, a collaboration of more than 200 researchers in areas such as data analytics, cyber security, 5G and IoT. Nokia is also a key member of Nokia’s Australian graduate program.

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  • Grab secures e-money license in the Philippines

    Grab secures e-money license in the Philippines

    Ride-hailing company Grab is expanding its mobile wallet services in the Philippines following receipt of an e-money license from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

    Statistics from the central bank revealed that more than 98% of transactions in the Philippines still happen in cash, whereas 86% of people remain unbanked. Cash handling and services also cost millions of pesos a year to the banking industry.

    Besides its existing payments functions for ordering rides, express delivery and peer-to-peer credit transfer, Grab will soon be able to order food, pay their bills and purchases from their favorite stores and restaurants.

    As with rides, new services may help customers earn points with its GrabRewards loyalty program, with offers from partners such as SM Cinema, Cebu Pacific flights, McDonalds or Globe prepaid.

    The GrabPay mobile wallet built into the Grab app is designed to offer a low-entry barrier to secure cashless payment options for both consumers and merchants.

    The first feature to be launched by Grab under the e-money license will be the option to top-up prepaid load from the Grab app. Users in the Philippines who wish to top up their prepaid load, can tap the ‘Load Now’ bar below the GrabPay mobile wallet bar alongside other features including send, request and top up wallet.

    After entering the phone number to be topped up, they can select their top-up product. The request is sent to the telco service provider and receipt provided.

  • Myanmar Net taps Ruckus Networks for carrier-grade Wi-Fi

    Myanmar Net taps Ruckus Networks for carrier-grade Wi-Fi

    Myanmar’s largest pure-play ISP Myanmar Net contracted Ruckus Networks to deploy a carrier-grade Wi-Fi network across all major townships in Yangon and Mandalay.

    Through the deployment, Myanmar Net is offering consumers and businesses internet access at speeds of up to 62Mbps and prices competitive with the mobile operators’ existing data plans.

    Ruckus Networks provided Wi-Fi access points that use its smart antenna system with 180-degree and 120-degee antenna patterns to provide wider coverage and more stable connectivity.

    Allen Miu, CTO of Myanmar Net parent company Frontiir, said the company was facing a number of unique challenges with the deployment, associated with Myanmar’s extreme weather, power fluctuations from the nation’s old and unstable power grid and high population density.

    “Besides AP density, the high population density is also a challenge as we anticipate huge demand for our services due to the very affordable prices we offer. One of the key initial concerns we had was whether Wi-Fi technology could hold up to the growth and demands on our network,” he said.

    “Being the first in Myanmar to deploy a wireless network for the general populace is no easy feat, and we are only able to make this a reality with Ruckus’ engineering expertise and knowledge.”

  • Vietnam’s first car-hailing app FastGo heads overseas

    Vietnam’s first car-hailing app FastGo heads overseas

    FastGo, a Vietnamese ride-hailing app, plans to launch its service in Indonesia and Myanmar in December as it hopes to become one of the top companies in the field in Southeast Asia.

    This move abroad comes just five months after it launched in Vietnam, positioning itself as the company’s answer to Singapore-based Grab, the biggest player in Southeast Asia, and Indonesia’s Go-Jek, which launched its first overseas operation in Vietnam last month, GoViet.

    FastGo offers a private car and taxi service in Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City. As of early October, it claimed to have reached 20% of the local market with some 30,000 drivers registered on its system. The app was developed by MPOS Vietnam Technology, a tech startup created by FastGo’s co-founder and chief executive Nguyen Huu Tuat. MPOS set up Vietnam’s first mobile payment solution in 2013 and has links with many local partners including banks and insurers.

    “Although the Southeast Asian ride-hailing sector is dominated by Grab and Go-Jek, FastGo has strategic partners, networks and relevant strategies for the Indonesia and Myanmar markets in place,” Tuat told in an interview on Thursday.

    Tuat said this background would allow FastGo to expand in both domestic and regional markets and balance the ride-hailing market. This is currently dominated by the two big names who are busy expanding their ecosystems. FastGo is aiming to reach 30% market share in Malaysia and Myanmar after six months, Tuat said.

    MPOS has some experience in the ride-hailing business, providing the technology and platforms used by two taxi companies — Mailinh in Vietnam and Blue Bird in Indonesia — since 2016.

    “FastGo is not a competitor of taxi companies but a partner. We provide technical solutions and the platform to both taxi companies and private car owners, while giving more options for consumers,” Tuat explained.

    FastGo does not collect commission from its drivers, but charges them 30,000 dong ($1.30) each if they earn more than 400,000 dong per day.

    FastGo is committed to keeping passenger tariffs unchanged, but suggests they offer tips (ranging from 10,000 dong to 100,000 dong) to drivers to help secure a ride during peak hours. FastGo’s target passengers are white-collar workers and young people who are willing to use credit cards or mobile payment, but it also accepts cash.

    Tuat said the company’s main revenue and profit would not come from ride-hailing but from planned services including deliveries and finance lending.

    Hanoi-based FastGo is a member of NextTech Group, formerly known as PeaceSoft, with sister companies pioneers in financial technologies, e-commerce, e-logistics and investment across Southeast Asia. The group operates in eight countries and serves more than 12 million customers and 40,000 enterprise partners.

    The 35-year-old founder of FastGo has more than 15 years’ experience working in the Vietnam technology industry and has co-founded three startups, including PeaceSoft. Tuat led these companies through fundraising rounds from investors such as data group IDG, Japanese tech company SoftBank, online retailer eBay, Malaysia-based MOL AccessPortal and U.K. fund ACTIS.

    NextTech is also behind one of Vietnam’s first e-marketplaces, ChoDienTu, e-payment platform NganLuong and mobile wallet Vimo. It is also involved with two cryptocurrency trading platforms.

    FastGo will focus on working with existing partners and clients in each of NextTech’s current markets.

    “Unlike Grab or Go-Jek, the two biggest players in the region which built ecosystems from their ride-hailing services, the FastGo app is a value-added service to NextTech’s existing ecosystem and we will optimize all the advantages of that system,” Tuat added.

    FastGo secured at least $3 million from the tech-focused venture arm of private equity group VinaCapital in its first round of fundraising in August. The company is hoping to raise $50 million in the next round — scheduled for the first quarter of 2019 — to help accelerate regional expansion. FastGo plans to raise funds every six months.

    It hopes to make its service available in 20 cities in Vietnam and five other Southeast Asian markets, including the Philippines, Cambodia and Thailand, by the end of next year.

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  • Philippines-based tech startup CloudSwyft just got backed by WSI Group

    Philippines-based tech startup CloudSwyft just got backed by WSI Group

    The IT firm WSI Group has infused an undisclosed amount of funding into the tech skills-focused learning platform. Philippines’ IT distribution giant Wordtext Systems, Inc. Group (WSI Group) has announced today that it has backed tech skills learning platform CloudSwyft. The undisclosed amount raised will be used for supporting the market expansion plan across the Asia Pacific.

    With the IT-Labs-as-a-Service approach that has served companies in creating and managing IT training and assessments, so far the company has managed to generate its revenue through platform subscription and certificate vouchers.

    The platform offers the verified certification in the IT industry for students or employees with names like Microsoft backs it up. The company was founded in 2015 by Dann Angelo De Guzman and in the past had raised US$736,000 from Future Now Ventures, an Australia- and Philippines-based venture capital firms in 2015 and 2016.

    “The partnership with Microsoft helped us kick-start significant traction bundling our platform with hundreds of learning content in Data Science, AI and other modern technology skills. We were able to bring CloudSwyft into Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and of course, the Philippines. We have been focusing on bringing results. Now, this is where we are heading and we are just getting started,” said De Guzman said on their Asia Pacific expansion plan after raising the funding.

    Beside closing an investment deal with WSI Group, CloudSwyft has also locked in a major partnership with IBPAP (IT Business Process Association of the Philippines) to capture and channel through hundreds of ITO and BPO companies in the Philippines to support the upskilling and reskilling talent of their workforce.

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  • An overview of the Vietnam’s startup scene

    An overview of the Vietnam’s startup scene

    When you think of the startup scene in Southeast Asia, places like Singapore and Indonesia may come to mind, but Vietnam is another tech ecosystem on the rise. With a domestic market of over 95 million people and an economy that has grown 6% on average in the past 10 years, the population is becoming increasingly wealthy. In addition, the talent pool in Vietnam is young and increasingly educated with a growth mentality. Costs of operating are relatively low and there is a high rate of internet penetration—approximately 50 million users in 2017.

    It will come as no surprise then that Vietnam’s startups grew 14% in the first quarter of 2017 alone, with 39,580 startups entering the market. A Topica Founder Institute report stated that startup investments in Vietnam were $291 million USD in 2017, a 42% increase from 2016. However, there are still significant hurdles to foreign investment, such as the need for a stronger legal framework to protect venture capitalists and a more streamlined licensing and tax structure. Moreover, although Vietnam has significant technological expertise as an outsourcing hub, the startup scene could benefit from greater business acumen.

    In response, Viet Kieu, or Vietnamese people who have studied or worked overseas, have taken on leadership roles, accounting for more than half of the founders out of the 26 firms that 500 Startups Vietnam has funded. Their experience with multinational corporations, understanding of cultural differences, and English proficiency have been instrumental to the success of the Vietnamese startup scene. Still, the country itself is finding ways to support its startups.

    The Government and Accelerators Are Fueling Growth

    The Vietnamese government is aggressively promoting small enterprises. In 2017, deputy prime minister Vuong Dinh Hue announced the goal of doubling the number of businesses in Vietnam from half a million to one million by 2020. Vietnam Silicon Valley is a government-sponsored initiative to provide legal and financial support to 2,600 startups over the next 10 years. Lastly, the government has relaxed visa programmes for Viet Kieu, allowed them to regain citizenship under specific conditions, and exempted them from certain foreign investment requirements.

    Tech accelerators are also pushing the growth in startups. Topica Founder Institute is a 14-week programme with an impressive track record of 60 graduate startups, $20 million USD in funds raised, and $100 million USD in valuation since 2011. VIISA, the Vietnam Innovative Startup Accelerator, is an accelerator programme and seed stage fund of $6 million USD. Launched in 2013, Vietnam Silicon Valley is a government-sponsored bootcamp that includes a $20,000 USD investment and access to 60 mentors and 52 startup alumni. Lastly, TechFest is an annual event showcase of over 200 startups, hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology and broadcast over live television.

    With major resources behind them and a positive climate for tech businesses, here are four Vietnamese startups showing immense promise.

    Logivan

    Based out of Hanoi, Logivan is a web-based platform that connects businesses with a fleet of over 5,000 trucks, which are constantly tracked and optimised. The logistics industry makes up approximately one quarter of Vietnam’s GDP, and in 2016 logistics firms earned approximately $8.5 billion USD in revenue, owing in part to the country’s underdeveloped transport infrastructure which causes prices to rise. Logivan plans to disrupt and digitise this industry, centralise and automate logistics, increase capacity, and improve supply chain efficiency.

    In November 2017, the up-and-comer won “Best Startup” at RISE Pitch Battle, the largest technology conference in Asia, and earned a sponsorship from Uber Chief Technology Officer, Thuan Pham. In August 2018, Ethos Partners, Insignia Ventures Partners, and VinaCapital Ventures funded a $1.75 million USD Series A round to expand Logivan’s logistics services in four major economic hubs across Vietnam. The startup previously received a $600,000 investment in March 2018 from Insignia, which the company matched during its time at the Topica Founder Institute accelerator programme.

    The company was founded by Linh Pham, a former Goldman Sachs technology analyst and Cambridge University graduate who previously founded Snappetite, a time-dependent platform for deals. Pham’s vision is to reduce prices, offer transparency, and provide real-time tracking for shippers and cargo owners.

    Foody

    Founded in 2012 in Ho Chi Minh City, Foody is a gourmet media company and user-submitted review platform for any location food-related, including restaurants, bars, cafes, bars, bakeries, and resorts. The company boasts hundreds of thousands of locations, images, and comments.

    One of Vietnam’s most successful startups, Foody has received numerous rounds of funding by an array of investors. Seed and Series A funding was provided by Japanese VC firm, Cyberagent Ventures, and Pix Vine Capital. In 2017, Singapore-based consumer internet group, Sea Limited, acquired an 82% controlling interest in the company for approximately $64 million USD, the largest investment of the year. Sea, one of Southeast Asia’s first unicorns, is valued at about $3.75 billion USD and previously funded a Series B round in 2015, which was followed by a Series C investment by Tiger Global Management less than a month later.

    Like many other startup leaders in Vietnam, Foody’s founder and CEO, Dang Hoang Minh, spent time abroad. Born in Vietnam, he went to Australia for university and studied Software Engineering and Information Systems before returning to his home country. Foody has expansion plans in Indonesia and Thailand.

    Ami

    Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Ami is capitalising on Vietnam’s booming real estate market by developing a suite of software and hardware products that will help owners and property managers connect with residents and digitise their information. Based upon blockchain, internet of things, and artificial intelligence technologies, the company’s products include:

    • Ami A Biz, a supply chain logistics to verify authenticity in goods and ownership
    • Ami Citizen, a digital record of individuals used by landlords and businesses
    • Ami University, a data management tool for universities to track students and professors
    • Ami Building, a condominium management platform
    • Ami Electricity, a web-based metre tool
    • Ami Fingerprint, an online storage space for fingerprints

    In the past couple of years, the startup has had an incredible growth trajectory. It won the top prize at the 2017 TechFest competition, and subsequently received $9 million in funding from the Vietnamese real estate corporation, Binh Minh Group. Between October 2017 and April 2018, the number of tenants in its property management product tripled. With approximately 1,500 rooms in its marketplace, the company’s target for 2019 is 100,000 rooms across the entire country. Looking forward, Ami plans to create a digital community between Vietnam’s citizens and their residences, schools, and businesses.

    Tiki

    Established in March 2010 as an online book dealer, Tiki is a business-to-consumer e-commerce company and the fastest-growing retail company in Vietnam. With more than 300,000 products in 12 categories, the company posted 2016 revenue of approximately $2.7 million USD and a loss of about $7.8 million USD after high operational expenditures needed to entrench itself in the consumer marketplace.

    Despite its losses, Tiki has been an attractive investment, especially as the e-commerce sector grew by more than 25 percent in 2017. The startup received initial funding in 2013 from Seedcom, CyberAgent Venture, and Sumitomo Corporation. In 2016, the startup was valued at $45 million and subsequently received $17 million USD for a 38% stake by VNG Corporation, which specialises in digital content, online entertainment, social networking, and e-commerce. Most recently, Chinese megaretailer JD.com Inc. and South Korea’s STIC Investment funded a Series C round of $54 million USD to help consolidate Tiki’s market presence.

    As one of the top four general e-commerce retailers in Vietnam, Tiki is well-positioned to leverage the influx of foreign investments that are flooding the sector.

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  • Adidas Thailand Enjoys 40% Growth Online Thanks to DHL E-Commerce

    Adidas Thailand Enjoys 40% Growth Online Thanks to DHL E-Commerce

    DHL eCommerce, a division of the world’s leading logistics company Deustche Post DHL Group, has facilitated growth of over 40% for adidas Thailand’s retail revenue by enabling deliveries for the adidas.co.th site.

    The e-commerce channel launched in June 2015 and since co-operating with DHL in May 2017, Thai consumers are able to have their purchases delivered same-day or next-day within greater Bangkok and 2-3 days to other remote areas.

    adidas.co.th offers a wide range of adidas products including limited edition items which may not be available in the physical stores. Customers can browse online and shop for unique styles and sizes without having to hop from store to store. With 18 physical stores across Thailand, DHL eCommerce will begin to leverage adidas’ retail footprint for e-commerce fulfilment by picking up orders from adidas stores and delivering to customers by Q2 2019.

    Jirot Paowisit, adidas’ Senior Manager of Operations for Thailand said, “E-Commerce is making a true impact not only in the way we sell and deliver our products, but also in how we engage our consumers. We are pleased to make adidas products more easily and conveniently available and we are excited to work with a strong logistics partner like DHL. Besides the excellent delivery service to our customers, their solutions have enabled us to fulfil more orders a day by optimizing our operations for fast e-commerce fulfillment.”

    “E-Commerce is a growing channel for adidas and with Thailand’s increasing e-commerce adoption with the total share of e-commerce expected to more than double in the coming years, we are certain that there will be more adidas fans choosing to shop on our online store. We are pleased with DHL eCommerce’s high quality delivery performance which plays an important role in our e-commerce strategy.” said Suphalada Chalitpattanangkune, E-Commerce Manager for adidas Thailand.

    “Over 57% of shoppers will likely not shop with a retailer again if they had a bad delivery experience, showing how important the quality of delivery is for a retailer’s brand image and customer loyalty. We are proud to enable adidas to deliver quickly and conveniently to their consumers with a successful delivery performance of 99% consistently since we started shipping for them in 2017,” said Kiattichai Pitpreecha, Managing Director, Southeast Asia, DHL eCommerce.

    “With DHL’s fully-owned domestic delivery network with full nationwide coverage across Thailand, adidas fans from anywhere in Thailand will be able to shop online easily with the assurance of a great delivery experience.”

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  • Foreigners Dominate the E-commerce market in Philippines

    Foreigners Dominate the E-commerce market in Philippines

    Local players in the Philippine e-marketplace reach more Filipinos in terms of social media activity. However, they struggle to establish a stronghold in terms of actual selling activity as international players are still the preferred choice for most Filipinos. It comes as a surprise that only a few international players dominate the country’s e-marketplace traffic activity.

    Based on Kuala Lumpur-based iPrice Group’s Map of eCommerce in the Philippines during the second quarter of 2018, there were more local active players.

    However, international players fueled market activity. In fact, the share of foreign players in the overall traffic accounted for 93 percent of the overall e-marketplace activity. Local players, on the other hand, only led in social media activity as they accounted for 75 percent of e-commerce activity from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter platforms.

    Foreign players

    There were only eight foreign players engaged in e-commerce traffic in the Philippines: Lazada, Shopee, Zalora, eBay, Sephora, Sophie Paris, My Sale and Melissa Philippines. Of these eight players, Lazada, Shopee, Zalora and eBay were the top four most visited e-marketplaces in the country. Of the four, Lazada had a dominant 68-percent market share, at least triple the size of its closest competitor, Shopee.

    This trend is unique to the Philippine market because in its regional counterparts Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, foreign players have less than half of the overall e-marketplace traffic activity with 45, 20 and 47 percent, respectively.

    For Indonesia and Singapore, local players Tokopedia and Qoo10 were the most visited e-marketplaces. The reason behind the dominance of international players in the Philippine e-marketplace was traced to the Filipinos’ online shopping preference that is mainly based on brand familiarity.

    In fact, according to a Kantar Worldpanel survey, 84 percent of Filipinos (out of 3,000 household surveyed) preferred to buy from established companies despite the alternatives available in the market.

    This specific Filipino consumer behavior affected the local e-commerce players as majority of them have just started operating in the e-marketplace.

    Another factor that influenced the dominance of international players in the Philippine e-marketplace was that majority of big local brick-and-mortar companies such as SM and Ayala malls were amplifying their online presence with e-marketplace partnerships with the more established players such as Lazada and Zalora instead of creating their own e-marketplaces.

    Meanwhile, the government’s project—road map of e-commerce—is mostly tied with international e-marketplaces wherein local brick-and-mortal companies and brands as well as MSMEs are encouraged to sell.

    More pressure

    While this will result in more customers and more jobs especially for MSMEs, it is putting pressure on the local players.

    The most visited local e-marketplace in the country is BeautyMNL, placing fifth overall with less than a million traffic. Meanwhile, Kimstore, a tech marketplace, placed ninth.

    The general e-marketplaces—Galleon, O Shopping and Takatack (which were previously in Q1 2018’s top e-commerce) all fell a notch, placing seventh, eighth and 11th, respectively.

    The only local e-commerce that accelerated in terms of ranking was Argomall as it jumped two notches to sixth in the overall e-commerce ranking.

    Interestingly, the majority of local players experienced inconsistency in traffic as there were occasions of leaps and slips. The e-marketplaces that saw increased traffic were Seek the Unique, Apartment 8 Clothing, Zeus, Straight Forward Clothing, Great Value Plus, Bayan Mall, TV Shop, Mall Hallo Hallo and CesaPH, which on the average rose in ranking by about seven notches.

    E-marketplaces that slipped in traffic were Adobomall, Watch Portal, Goods, Mommy Mundo, Bigmk, Abubot, which on the average declined in ranking by about eight notches.

    Despite the low market penetration and inconsistency in traffic of local players, the majority of local players found their market in social media.

    Overall, the local players dominated Instagram and Twitter as they attracted 70 and 51 percent, respectively, of the e-marketplace social media followers.

    Local marketplace

    The local fashion and beauty e-marketplaces: Apartment 8 Clothing, Sunnies Studios, BeautyMNL, Kimstore and CesaPH topped Instagram placing first, second, fifth, seventh and ninth, respectively.

    Meanwhile, social media activity for Facebook was taken over by international players as their share of social media followers in this platform accounted for 77 percent.

    Filipino consumers are among the most active on social media, spending an average of four hours a day.

    As such, Filipino consumers are highly exposed to brands leveraging their products in social media. Clearly, the popularity of social media is a huge opportunity marketplace for e-commerce and independent merchants alike.

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  • Security concerns inhibiting m-payment adoption in Hong Kong

    Security concerns inhibiting m-payment adoption in Hong Kong

    More than half (53%) of Hong Kong residents polled during a recent survey conducted by the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation (HKIRC) said concerns over cybersecurity and privacy risks are major barriers to greater adoption of mobile payments.

    Other barriers that have been cited in the survey include technical instability and the lack of support for mobile payment from most local merchants in the city

    In speaking about the survey, HKIRC deputy CEO Bonnie Chun allayed the primary fear of using mobile payment, pointing out that the government ‘has already put a lot of regulations in place to ensure the industry strictly follow their guidelines. We suggest the government promote its policies via different channels such as social media among others,” said Chun.

    She added that the government should keep on educating the public about the different ways of maintaining safe online hygiene such as changing one’s passwords regularly, using two-factor authentication, not using public Wi-Fi connections for making payment transaction and downloading mobile apps only from reliable sources.

    “Also, mobile payment providers should increase their transparency on how they handle personal data. They should try not to collect too much personal data during the registration process to increase users’ confidence.”

    Mobile payment gets a foothold in Hong Kong

    The survey polled 1,200 residents in the city between the ages of 18 and 65, who belong to various industry sectors.

    Survey results showed that mobile payment is now gaining a foothold in the city with 23% of respondents using mobile payment and is now in the top three payment methods in Hong Kong after credit cards (37%) and Octopus Card (25%).

    While 93% of respondents between the ages of 18 to 25 have used it before, a high percentage – 77% – of older respondents aged 56 to 67 have also used mobile payments.

    More than a quarter of respondents or 28% have been using mobile payments two to three times a week. About 88% of respondents use their mobile phone for transactions of less than HK$500 ($64).

    The survey showed that respondents want to be able to use mobile payment in three areas: public transport, government bills and clinic,

    “The future of mobile payment in Hong Kong is very positive. When we start using mobile payment in public transport, people will become more familiar with it and the adoption rate will increase,” Chun said

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  • Electric vehicles on the fast track in Thailand

    Electric vehicles on the fast track in Thailand

    Experts see bright prospects for electric vehicles (EV) in Thailand with all concerned agencies pursuing the government’s goal of getting 1.2 million units on the road by 2036.

    There are many reasons and data behind the confidence of success, a seminar was told yesterday. The rising number of registered EVs, the development of a locally made EVs, as well as research and development of some EV parts are indications that it could have a major role in Thai society, said Amonrat Kaewpradap, a committee member of the Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT), at a panel discussion yesterday titled “The future of Electric Vehicle in Thailand”.

    The discussion was held as part of the Delta Future Industry Summit, organised by Delta Electronics (Thailand), as a venue for exchanging innovative ideas for a sustainable future.

    Amornrat said the number of EVs in use in Thailand was gradually increasing, leading to the continuous growth of infrastructure of charging stations.

    “More stations will boost the confidence for consumers in using EVs and so far, there are 500 charging stations in the country, she said. In 2016, there were 80,194 registrations but the number surged to 102,700 in 2017, or an increase of 20,000 units.She pointed out that the accumulated number of EV registrations in Thailand for Battery Electric Vehicles [BEV] and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) sharply increased from 2016 to 2017.Incentives will bring down priceAnother indication is the higher imports of EVs, she said, adding that more BEV motorcycles were sold these days, pointing to its popularity.

    Moreover, EV manufacturers are hiking production amid increasing demand from buyers. Also, educational institutions have launched development projects for EV battery, motors and the structure of a light-weight car.She believes the price of EVs could come down in the future as the government will support its usage with incentives.

    Jumpote Himacharoen, director of research and development, Metropolitan Electricity Authority [MEA], said the power agency would provide sufficient electricity to serve the targeted number of EVs. MEA has recently launched an online application on the locations of EV charging stations for the convenience of drivers.

    In a separate panel discussion titled “A Decade into the Future: Predictions for Thai Cities”, participants said smart cities would be the cornerstone of the country’s future urban landscape, with significant investment from the government and private sector.

    Pansak Siriruchatapong, the vice minister of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, said the government would expand its smart city project to three more provinces – Chon Buri, Rayong and Chaochengsao – on the Eastern Economic Corridor this year.Currently, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen and Bangkok are the cities earmarked for the pilot program.

    “Within the next five years, Thailand will develop smart cities in all 77 provinces,” he said.He added the two factors driving the development of smart cities are the engagement of community and local government and the connectivity and sharing information with technology solutions.However, Piyapan Tayanithi, Bangkok Bank’s executive vice president, warned that smart or high-technology is a double-edged sword, and back-up measures were needed in the event of malfunctions.

    Piyapan cited an incident late last month when banks’ electronic money transfers, withdrawals and payment services crashed for several hours. The banks attributed the cause to heavy interbank money transfers at the end of the month at large banks.“Simplicity or convenience of a group of people could come along with difficulty or complexity for another group [of people],” he said.

    Hsieh Shen-yen, president of Delta Electronics (Thailand), said: “We are currently witnessing the decline of old technologies such as gasoline cars and the gradual shift to smarter, cleaner technologies to power our lives and manage our cities.“But the shift to the future will only gain real momentum when the public and private sectors work together and get serious about action for climate change and managing urbanization,” he said.

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  • Hertz appoints former Burger King chief to new role

    Hertz appoints former Burger King chief to new role

    Hertz International has appointed Tracy Gehlan as chief operations officer. Reporting to group president Michel Taride, Gehlan is based at the car rental company’s International headquarters near London.

    In this newly created position Gehlan has assumed overall responsibility for delivering sustained growth, efficiency and customer service across the company’s wholly owned operations in Europe and Asia Pacific.

    Gehlan brings 23 years of operating expertise in a fast-moving retail environment from her leadership roles including Smashburger Master, Burger King Corporation and The Restaurant Group.

    Previously, as managing director/CEO of Smashburger UK, Gehlan led the entry of the US Smashburger fast food hamburger chain into the UK market and developed the company’s plans to expand across Europe.

    In her 11 year career with Burger King, Gehlan most recently served five years as COO, EMEA, where she optimised the business across the region’s franchised and wholly owned restaurants throughout 42 countries.

    Prior to joining Burger King, Gehlan served in operational management positions over a nine year period at The Restaurant Group. Gehlan has also held a non-executive directorship with the British Retail Consortium as Board Member, Scottish Retail Consortium (2008-2011).

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  • Telstra previews “cell on wings” for emergency coverage

    Telstra previews “cell on wings” for emergency coverage

    Telstra has previewed new drone swarm and mobile “cell on wings” technology designed to provide mobile connectivity and search and rescue functionality in natural disasters and other emergency situations.

    The company has developed a mobile small cell mounted on a drone to temporarily boost mobile network coverage in a local area.

    As well as providing critical communications capabilities, the mounted small cell can ensure Telstra’s mobile network is capable of supporting the use of drones in emergency situations.

    The new drone swarm is meanwhile a group of drones flying in formation and controlled by a single pilot, designed to use computer vision to map an area affected by fires or floods.

    It uses computer vision capability to help identify specific objects, such as people in need of rescuing, and assess the overall scale of damage over a large area.

    “In the future, 5G will allow operators using this type of technology to run missions end-to-end with an extensive data uplink capability,” Telstra CTO Håkan Eriksson said in a blog post.

    “This would mean being able to stream large sets of live data (such as high resolution video) back to operators in real time, and back to the server for even more intelligent decision making.”

    Telstra has already been using drones to inspect the damage to its network in the wake of natural disasters and assist with the repair process.

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  • Singtel launches VIA cross-border mobile payment alliance

    Singtel launches VIA cross-border mobile payment alliance

    Singtel and Thai mobile affiliate AIS have jointly launched a cross-border mobile payment alliance known as VIA, introducing Singapore-Thailand cross border mobile payments in collaboration with Thailand’s Kasikornbank.

    Through the collaboration, Singtel and AIS will offer QR code based mobile payments through their respective mobile wallets – Singtel Dash, as well as AIS Global Pay and Rabbit Line Play.

    The service can be used at all merchants displaying the new VIA brand as well as the more than 1.6 million Kasikornbank merchants displaying the Thai QR Code.

    Singtel said the VIA Alliance in the first cross-border initiative to connect both telco and non-telco mobile wallets.

    The alliance will be progressively expanded to include more of Singtel’s regional associates, including Airtel in India, Globe Telecom and the Philippines and Telkomsel in Indonesia, as well as more non-telco partners such as China’s Ping An Insurance Group.

    “This is a game changer for the Singtel Group and the region. The VIA alliance is aimed at unifying Asia’s fragmented payments scene by connecting different mobile wallet systems across the region. As more people travel around the region, we want them to be able to enjoy the ease and familiarity of using their local mobile wallets abroad,” Singtel International CEO Arthur Lang said.

    “VIA will enhance the payment experience for millions of consumers including our Group’s customer base of more than 700 million. We see a tremendous opportunity to drive the adoption of mobile payments which supports ASEAN’s push towards financial inclusion and vision of a single digital market.”

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  • AirAsia to launch Vizag-Bangkok flights from Dec 8

    AirAsia to launch Vizag-Bangkok flights from Dec 8

    AirAsia, a low-cost air carrier, is linking Visakhapatnam and Bangkok and the flights would begin from Dec 8.

    Making the announcement at a media conference here on Monday, Rajkumar Paranthaman, the head of marketing, said there would be flights on four weekdays from here to Bangkok (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) and the return flights from Bangkok to Vizag would be on Monday, Wednesday. Friday and Sunday.

    He said the travel to Bangkok would be hassle-free and visa on arrival would be given to tourists at Bangkok. Further, the airlines has air-connection from Bangkok to 21 destinations within that country. It is also a major hub with international flights to different destinations in the country.

    He said the promotional fare to Bangkok would be Rs 2,999 one way and the tourists and visitors to Thailand could book the tickets up to Oct. 21 to avail themselves of the promotional offer. Visa on arrival would be arranged for Indians, for a fee of roughly Rs 4,000 or so.

    He said, “AirAsia is operating flights to Bangkok from five Indian cities – Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Jaipur and Kochi – and Vizag would be added to the list in December.

    Cholada Siddhivarn, the Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said India was very important for Thailand. “Last year, 1.2 tourists from India visited Thailand and the number is likely to go up to 1.4 million this year,” she said and added that Indians should go to different parts of Thailand and not merely confine themselves to Bangkok. “Thailand is a friendly country to tourists, specially Indians,” she added.

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  • New CEO for DHL Global Forwarding to drive Growth in North Asia

    New CEO for DHL Global Forwarding to drive Growth in North Asia

    Charles Kaufmann has been appointed by DHL Global Forwarding as CEO, DGF North Asia South Pacific with effect from 1 October 2018.

    Kaufmann brings more than 40 years of logistics experience to the new regional cluster, most recently serving as the leader of DHL Global Forwarding’s operations in North Asia and Japan as well as Head of Value-Added Services in the Asia Pacific region.

    “Charles understands the nuances of trade and freight forwarding in North Asia like no one else, and has shown remarkable ability to continuously improve operational standards and customer satisfaction with each passing year,” said Kelvin Leung, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific.

    “His experience lies at the intersection of logistics innovation and sustainable, efficient freight solutions, making him our obvious choice to tackle the rapidly evolving needs of both North Asia and the South Pacific.”

    Since joining Deutsche Post DHL in 1973, Kaufmann’s expertise has steadily broadened from air and ocean freight into fields like customs brokerage, integrated warehousing, and international supply chain solutions. As CEO of DHL Global Forwarding North Asia, he led the enhancement of innovative products in the division’s core businesses of air and ocean freight, as well as the development of new multimodal services by sea and rail from Korea and Japan via China to Europe.

    “Despite volatile rumblings in the global trade environment, the future for North Asia’s economic powerhouses like South Korea and Japan continues to look bright, and I’m looking forward to further building on the strong network and service standards that we’ve established in the past few years to give the region’s industries a stable platform for growth no matter the headwinds,” said Kaufmann. “At the same time, we see significant opportunities to help businesses in the South Pacific to grow internationally in a sustained and cost-effective manner.

    “Even as Australia and New Zealand remain on track for steady economic growth, emerging countries like Papua New Guinea and Fiji are beginning to build stronger links to the world’s biggest markets, giving us a clear mandate to support these developments with more cost-effective freight connections, streamlined logistics solutions, and market-leading service at every customer touchpoint. I’m excited about taking up this expanded remit, and look forward to working with our extremely accomplished teams in North Asia and the South Pacific as best I can.”

    Kaufmann takes over from Tony Boll, outgoing CEO of DHL Global Forwarding South Pacific and Country Manager for DHL Global Forwarding Australia, who enters retirement in February 2019 after more than 52 years in the Deutsche Post DHL Group.

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