ISKANDAR PUTERI: Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the state will put its focus on expanding its digital economy after launching the Digital Johor 4.0 initiative.
Calling it a historic occasion that future generations will look back on fondly, the state has outlined an eight phase framework that includes improving its high-speed broadband coverage in urban and rural areas, introducing an app to connect all local government services and implementing cashless transactions across all sectors, smart governance, digital economy and the Johor Halal Hub.
“In 2016, the digital economy accounted for 15.5% of the global economy and this number is expected to increase to 24.3% by 2025 with a total of US$23 trillion.
“There will be a paradigm shift for all sectors, especially as businesses and companies adapt to remain competitive or risk being left behind,” he said before launching the initiative at Educity Sports Complex near here yesterday.
Also in attendance was Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Keruak.
Mohamed Khaled thanked Dr Salleh’s ministry for its support through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) which has pledged RM200mil toward the Johor Digital 4.0 initiative.
(From left) Aidah, Rosli, Ismail, Shivaji, Abdul Wahab, Abdul Razak, Ramlee, Ahmad Nasri, TM Johor Strategic Economy Corridor general manager Nazri Edham, and Khaidzir linking hands in a symbolic gesture of their partnership and commitment to help Johor develop its digital agenda.
Mohamed Khalid also wants wider broadband coverage in Johor with speeds of up to 100Mbps the norm.
“Johor has the second highest broadband penetration rate in the country behind Kuala Lumpur.
“We also want to make sure rural areas enjoy Internet connectivity to improve the socio-economic position of the people there,” he said.
As of February this year, 83.6% of mobile phone users in Johor have access to 4G or LTE connection.
The MCMC will be facilitating the upgrade of telco towers in various parts of the state to 3G and LTE speeds with 372 telco towers already upgraded and another 153 to be upgraded soon.
The state also launched an app today that is expected to revolutionise the way local government services in the state are accessed by the public.
Digital Johor Sdn Bhd (DJSB) managing director Datuk Abdul Wahab Abdullah said the app — Johor Applications and Services Solutions (JASS) — is in the proof of concept stage and is expected to provide information on all 16 local authorities in Johor, modes of transport in the state, utility bill payment, public WiFi hotspots and connectivity to national level services such as the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
“As time progresses, we will expand JASS to accept payment for a wide variety of services and products within the state using a cashless system.
“This will not only make it easier for the general public to access this information through one source, but also make it convenient for tourists coming to Johor as well as for local businesses to market their products to a wider market,” he said.
Abdul Wahab explained that in future, the app would be upgraded to be able to send localised messages that may only be important to people within a certain area.
“This level of personalisation will be beneficial for state authorities in providing assistance and support to people effectively and efficiently. An example would be when a natural disaster is about to strike, a warning message can be send to people in the area,” he said.
Also in attendance at the briefing were Iskandar Investment Bhd senior vice-president Aidah Abd Rahman, Mimos senior manager Rosli Mohd Din, REDtone executive director Datuk Ismail Osman, Frost and Sullivan partner-in-charge (Asia Pacific) Shivaji Das, KPRJ chief executive officer Abdul Razak Mohd Yusoff, Cyberport chief executive officer Ramlee Jaafar, Johor TM vice-president Ahmad Nazri Mohamed and Irda senior vice-president Khaidzir A Rasip.