PARTNER CONTENT: Smart Axiata Chief Business Officer Sharif Lukman Mahfoedz told WinWin Live there is more to enabling the digital economy of Cambodia than just boosting overall GDP, explaining the process is an important step in creating jobs and enabling staff across a host of vertical industries to thrive.
The executive explained Smart is focused on enabling the digital processes needed to deliver the economic shift Cambodia is undertaking, though emphasised reliable connectivity must not be overlooked.
Mahfoedz noted Smart offers 90 per cent population coverage, a key element in ensuring broad access to digital technologies and the emerging economy.
The executive highlighted the role of advanced technologies including “triple-band 8T8R” in providing “stable, affordable” connectivity.
Smart was the first operator in Asia-Pacific to launch a triple-band RRU, and led the way in Cambodia in terms of introducing TDD Massive MIMO and an SDA high-end antenna: “It is enhancing communication as well as internet access across the country”, Mahfoedz said.
Business and society
The executive noted Smart Axiata’s role goes beyond just connectivity, though, with programmes to support small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Smart is focused on “helping local businesses with tailored digital solutions”, positioning the operator “as a one-stop shop for business solutions and corporate social responsibility initiatives” to foster domestic entrepreneurship, he explained.
Mahfoedz noted Smart is acutely aware digital transformation requires power and is turning this into a means of extending access to electrical grids by using its base stations as “an anchor point” to deliver power to “off-grid communities while ensuring reliable communication services”.
With base stations located and being deployed throughout the nation, the initiative is wide-reaching, further broadening access to the digital economy.
Smart realises power is nothing without security: Mahfoedz said the operator is focused on cyber-safety, running internal training programmes, initiating data integrity practices throughout the business, along with building security into consumer and business offerings.
Mahfoedz explained providing digital skills to people is, of course, another key means of opening the full benefits of the new economy. He said Smart is keen on developing “local talent”, hiring and training Cambodians, “equipping them with emerging technology” and related skills “to meet global and regional standards”.
The Smart executive noted the operator is focused on what he terms “digital talent development” and trained more than 5,000 students since embarking on a joint programme with Cambodia’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of Post and Telecommunications in 2019.
Challenges
But the process of enabling the digital economy is not all plain sailing. Mahfoedz explained Smart is tackling many challenges, including the adoption of enabling technologies by SMEs.
He noted the “high upfront costs” many SMEs face in adopting digital technologies is a major hurdle, despite these being a “backbone for the economy”. Smart is addressing these by offering innovative pricing and billing models, including pay-as-you-use and on-the-go options “with no, or little to no upfront investment” by the individual enterprise.
Smart is also working to foster digital start-ups, a segment Mahfoedz noted is currently limited in terms of the number of companies involved.
Again, training plays a key element in Smart’s strategy: “We foster entrepreneurship though education”, Mahfoedz said, explaining the operator also runs “incubation centres” and a $5 million “digital innovation fund”.
Smart again asserts a leading position in terms of establishing the venture capital fund, having set it up in 2017 to invest in digital start-ups in Cambodia after recognising these companies were essential in driving the growth of the broader ecosystem and, in turn, economy.
Another element to consider is people’s ability to access financial technology (fintech). “There is limited banking access in remote areas especially,” Mahfoedz said, explaining Smart is “committed to helping Cambodians to be able to access financial services through ongoing network expansion” and its programmes covering “digital literacy and security”.
AI and 5G
Any focus on digitalisation inevitably must also account for a company’s own plans. Mahfoedz explained Smart continues to regard its connectivity infrastructure “and facilities around that” as the spine of its digital efforts, focusing on ongoing improvements to its network along with “enhancing our customer experience” to power the emerging economy. This includes getting ready to deploy 5G, a task the executive noted involves more than just deploying infrastructure, with work also underway to ensure it rolls out the network in accordance with local regulations.
The executive noted Smart is also working to employ AI “in our internal operation to boost operational efficiency and improve network reliability” by identifying and correcting anomalies.
Smart collaborates with vendors including Huawei to advance its environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, part of a commitment to “green innovation”. The operator is using the vendor’s iPowerStar range, which enables operators to shut down various network elements to minimise power consumption while maintaining the service levels.
Mahfoedz explained Smart’s collaboration with Huawei is a key element in its broader decarbonisation goals, which also include employing 1.6 thousand solar energy panels to-date and moving “to electric vehicles to achieve net zero by 2050”.
The operator keeps an eye on the future, with ongoing work to maintain a leading position in compliance practices by preparing for future changes to relevant regulations, he said.
Mahfoedz explained keeping Smart’s own operations in view while promoting Cambodia’s digital economy and remaining socially-conscious is something of a balancing act. The operator believes initiatives including providing affordable data plans, “free daily data” for students and its various SME digital products help bridge any digital divide in the nation.
The executive explained Smart is “here for the long-term” and places great importance on being open and transparent about its work, providing an “annual sustainability report detailing emissions, governance and corporate social responsibility activities”, all of which is made publicly available.