Transforming 
infocomm sector

Digital transformation is a phrase never far from the lips of organisations seeking to get a headstart in the connected economy that is quickly building up today.

For that to happen, however, the infocomm sector has to have the capabilities and talent needed to enable the each industry vertical to move forward.

Among the transformation plans, or roadmaps, that the Singapore government has designed for each industry sector, none looks as far ahead as the one aimed at the infocomm sector.

Taking the lead in digitisation, the sector will need to build expertise in four frontier technologies – artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics, cybersecurity, immersive media and the Internet of Things (IoT).

These areas were identified by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information, during the launch of the infocomm media industry’s roadmap in November 2017.

For large enterprises, these technologies will make a key difference in the years ahead. Here’s how:

AI and Data Analytics

As enterprises collect more data from customer feedback as well as usage of products and services, it is easy to be flooded with raw data that one cannot process and use.

AI, through machine learning and deep learning, will be key to enable people to make sense of all the data. Smarter analytical machines will learn from large volumes of unstructured data sets that humans are not well equipped to process. From enabling data-driven decision making to opening new opportunities, AI and data analytics will be key to any large enterprise.

Cybersecurity

As more data is stored and processed online, the threat of cybersecurity will grow if only because the target area is larger. For enterprises, cybersecurity has to be baked in from the start for any digital product or service. By design, each enterprise must have cybersecurity at the top of its priorities.

Not doing so is to put the business at huge risk. A devastating attack could wipe out customer databases or halt operations completely. With so many vectors to track and tools to monitor, there is a need to tap on external expertise as well as in-house cybersecurity talent to counter the threat.

Immersive Media

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality are no longer just buzzwords today, as enterprises make use of new immersive media technologies to conduct training and enable new virtual experiences.

In Tan Tock Seng hospital, for example, staff are using VR for clinical training, reflecting a trend that is increasingly common around the world. In the United States, for example, nurses-in-training don goggles that enable them to see virtual patients and learn to spot signs of illnesses. For any enterprise that involves hands-on skills, immersive media will be a key technology.

IoT

Smart sensors are already around us today, so it will be no surprise that IoT is a big part of the future infocomm scene. From current IoT networks to upcoming 5G connections, new wireless links are being set up today to hook up and bring in insights from sensors remotely.

These can be reporting a delivery truck’s location and telemetry or they could be sharing information such as the number of people who have visited a mall, for example. As a major building block of digital services of the future, IoT is undoubtedly a key technology that enterprises have to grasp in the new economy.

For many enterprises, building up the capabilities in all areas can be a challenge, especially if these are not part of the core competencies they have. Even for large organisations, diving deep into these frontier technologies would require large amounts of investments in R&D and talent.

As a trusted partner, StarHub brings the expertise and experience that would boost the transformation efforts of enterprises. More than that, we work with an ecosystem of partners involved in the business of building smart nation services.

In November 2017, StarHub and ST Kinetics helped deploy robots to deliver linen and laundry to three hotels in Singapore. The autonomous robot solution, which helps alleviate the manpower crunch, could be rolled out in more hotels.

This followed the launch in March 2017 of Hubtricity, which acts as a foundation to accelerate service innovation and co-creation with partners and customers.

Our solutions approach enables and empowers enterprises to grow with us and leverage on an extended community and larger industry segment. For enterprises seeking to digital transform, this could be a key differentiator that elevates them from rivals that are also going digital.

Speak to a StarHub representative today about digital transformation.