Summary Bullets:

• Partnership positioned as a digital transformation of the London Stock Exchange Group’s (LSEG) technology infrastructure and data analytics using the Microsoft cloud and supporting over 40,000 Refinitiv financial institutions.

• Co-creation of such ‘foundational platforms’ by super-sized tech companies also have the advantage of ‘locking in’ customers for future revenues – if the regulators don’t intervene.

Co-creation is a growing trend across the technology market: It is the process of forming a close partnership or even joint venture to enhance customer solutions using technology in a digitizing world. The theory is that both large enterprises and their technology partners benefit from inventing new products and services, combining technology with deep industry knowledge.

Continue reading “The Art of Buying the Market” →

Summary Bullets:

• 5G is finally available in Malaysia but there is still a lack of innovations with the service providers.

• 5G monetization may not be critical, but telcos need to expand their initiatives with partners to explore new applications.

5G is Finally Available in Malaysia

Malaysia started its 5G journey as early as 2019, but the service was only widely available in the country in November 2022, after all major telcos except Maxis signed the Access Agreement (AA) with the sole wholesale provider Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB). For more, please see Malaysia 5G Through SPV: One Step Forward and Two Steps Back, March 8, 2021 and 5G War Begins Again in Malaysia as Launch Nears, September 24, 2021. Those service launches were rather late compared to neighboring countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Currently, Malaysian telcos are focused largely on offering 5G as part of their mobile plans for the mass market. There are limited initiatives with enterprises to leverage the technology to co-develop new solutions. However, with a fast-expanding population coverage from 33.2% in September 2022 to (planned) 80% by 2024, combined with a strong push by the government through various industry initiatives, enterprise 5G development in the country is expected to accelerate within the next two years.

Continue reading “5G is Finally Available in Malaysia, So What’s Next for Telcos?” →

Summary Bullets:

• The most important companies of today may not be around tomorrow

• Planning for alternatives in technology purchasing/direction insulates from vendor instability

The recent travails of Twitter and its new owner have been the subject of considerable news reports and analysis. Twitter has been a fixture of social media for over a decade, and its fate is yet to be determined. The larger effect of Twitter’s current trials on the technology industry has been one of shock. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, AWS, Google, Apple, Microsoft, and other “big tech” stalwarts have a feeling of permanence, a sense that these companies are forever. No member of IT staff or technologist can really go a day without encountering at least one of these firms. Their storied market prominence, technological achievements, and reputations all add to the feeling that these companies will be around and important forever. Continue reading “Planning Matters When Giants Fall” →