For many years, when it comes to e-commerce, there has been one undisputed leader — Amazon. However, as consumers began changing their buying behaviour, newer brands began to pop up to upend the online shopping juggernaut. Take Shein for instance, the Chinese company that only recently took the world by a storm for its ultra fast fashion approach has overthrown Amazon, topping the chart as one of the most downloaded shopping apps in the world in 2021.

In fact, Shein is not the only one. According to the newest data from Apptopia, two other e-commerce companies leapfrogged Amazon in the global rankings: Shopee, based in Singapore, which serves Southeast Asia and Latin America; and Meesho, based in India, which specializes in social e-commerce for categories including fashion and home products.

All data is iOS + Google Play combined, except for data from China which is iOS only. Source: Apptopia

The US e-commerce giant came in fourth place overall in global shopping app installation last year. Just the year before, Amazon had the most app installs worldwide. It is fair to note though that Amazon is still first in Apptopia’s US rankings for shopping app installs in 2021. This is given considering data from Statista that shows the Seattle-based company holds 41% of the US e-commerce market in 2021.

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Singapore-based Shopee came in first with a total 203 million downloads while China-based Shein came in second with 190 million downloads and the company has been a growing force in the fast fashion market. India-based Meesho took the third spot with 153 million downloads.

Amazon, Shein, Shopee vs social commerce

At this point, online is growing at a torrid pace. New data from fintech and payments research specialists Kaleido Intelligence has found that B2B and B2C e-commerce spend on physical goods and digital services will reach US$6 trillion this year, up from US$4.8 trillion in 2020. 

But it is shopping on social media platforms that will top the chart as it is currently growing three times faster than traditional e-commerce platforms. In fact, it is on pace to reach US$1.2 trillion globally by 2025, according to a study by Accenture. Most of that growth (62%) will be driven by Gen Z and millennial shoppers.

“The social commerce opportunity will nearly triple by 2025. Growing at a CAGR of 26%, the social commerce opportunity will reach $1.2 trillion by 2025. This accounts for 16.7% of the US$7 trillion e-commerce total spend,” Accenture said in a separate report.

The report also believes that China will remain the most advanced market both in size and maturity, yet the highest growth will be seen in developing markets such as India and Brazil. As for the US, social commerce is expected to more than double, reaching US$99 billion by 2025.

The post Shein, Shopee and Meesho overtake Amazon in 2021 appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

SK Nexilis, as part of SK Group’s Electric Vehicle (EV) value chain, has announced a proposed investment of RM2.3 billion to set up its first overseas production base in Malaysia in January 2021.

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SK Nexilis is building a copper foil manufacturing facility base located at Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) in Sabah.

The commercial operations will kickstart by 2023, and the new facility will increase SK Nexilis’ copper foil production capacity by three times its current global capacity to about 100,000 tonnes.

SK Group subsidiary SoCar to set up an EV platform in Malaysia

This comes in line with the recent announcement that its Malaysian subsidiary SOCAR Malaysia Sdn Bhd (SOCAR) has closed a $55 million Series A round of investment. EastBridge Partners led the deal, a leading private equity firm focused on Asia and the Pacific region investments, joined by strategic investor Sime Darby Berhad.

The company is planning to set up an EV platform in the country to deploy hundreds of EVs in the next five years.

Socar and Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) have also recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to leverage shared demand data on EV usage in Malaysia as part of efforts to speed up the adoption of EVs.

The MoU outlines TNB’s plans to leverage Socar’s data on travel behavior and vehicle usage to identify locations along key travel routes to install charging infrastructure.

“TNB is set to take a leading role in driving EV adoption in Malaysia, especially among fleet management operators, and one of the key steps to achieving this is by establishing more EV charging zones that would be utilized optimally based on known travel routes,” said TNB chief retail officer Datuk Megat Jalaluddin Megat Hassan.

“This recent collaboration with Socar is more extensive, compared to our initial partnership back in December 2019 when TNB became the enabler for SoCar’s first two EV zones in Cyberjaya with the introduction of the first-ever EVs in their fleet”, he added.

Strategic investment into BigPay

In addition, the company made a strategic investment of up to $100m into BigPay, a leading regional fintech company based in Malaysia. The August 2021 investment into BigPay is SK Group’s first step in entering the fast-growing fintech sector outside Korea.

In a statement, SK Group said that the investment into BigPay was a testament to the ability of Malaysian fintech companies to grow not just domestically but also regionally and become a significant player in Southeast Asia. 

SK Group said it was also joining the AirAsia Group Bhd’s e-wallet unit BigPay to apply for Malaysia’s upcoming digital banking license.

“The company intends to expand its product sets and grow the model to new markets with the funds”, said BigPay co-founder and chief executive officer Salim Dhanani. 

Chief Representative of SK Malaysia, Jung Kyu Kim said, “We are confident that SK’s experience in financial tech services will contribute to successful digital bank ecosystem in Malaysia and further growth into the ASEAN region.” 

The post SK Group to invest US$700m in EVs, environment in Malaysia appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

Around the world, a shortage of semiconductors, the tiny but critical chips used to calibrate cars’ fuel injection, run infotainment systems or provide the brains for cruise control, has upended automaking. Making matters worse is the supply chain crisis. To beat both the crisis, China’s carmakers are walking down the self-sufficient path.

Like many other large auto players around the world ,China’s big players too are taking matters into their own hands to build stronger domestic supply chains. The push comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping is pressing for stronger domestic supply chains that are less vulnerable to US sanctions and the pandemic. 

Earlier this month, China’s leading private automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group’s unit SiEngine Technology unveiled a cutting-edge automotive chipset–Dragonhawk 1. Geely Chairman Eric Li during the unveiling admits that “Semiconductors are extremely important for the country. 

They are the key to establishing secure and stable supply chains.” Dragonhawk 1, according to reports, is designed to serve as the brain behind smart cockpits, which include dashboard displays, navigation systems and cloud-based services. 

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The chip is built with 7-nm technology and is one of the most advanced automotive systems on a chip in the world. Its mass production will begin within the July-September quarter of 2022, and the chips are expected to be incorporated into Geely vehicles by the end of next year.

Among it’s added advantages includes allowing the cars to quickly process images and other data collected by driver-assistance systems, as well as external communications. Reports claim that the DragonHawk 1 has already received orders for several vehicle models and by 2023, it is expected that there will be at least two or three automakers choosing the chip.

To recall, SiEngine was formed by Geely unit EcarX and Arm China, the local unit of British chipmaker Arm. SiEngine aims to launch a new 5-nm chip as early as 2024 to meet the demands of constantly evolving self-driving technologies.

Other automakers upping China’s supply chain

SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile, a joint venture between China’s state-owned SAIC Motor and General Motors, has also begun developing its own chips. The joint venture plans for at least 90% of chips used in its EVs to be made in China by 2025, according to a local media report.

Separately, even Dongfeng Motor has begun mass production of power semiconductor modules for new energy vehicles, while BYD looks to list a semiconductor unit to bolster development capabilities, Nikkei reports.

According to Nikkei, China is said to have a self-sufficiency ratio of about 20% for all semiconductors, and 5% or less for automotive chips specifically. British research company LMC Automotive separately reports that the global semiconductor shortage dented the supply of passenger cars in 2021 by more than two million, or the equivalent of around 10% of the Chinese market.

The post This is how China’s automakers deal with supply chain mayhem appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

The automotive industry has entered into an intense era of collaboration among carmakers, technology giants, and even software start-ups, among others.

This trend comes as countries, including China, accelerate into increased usage of EVs and AVs. Numerous partnerships have sprouted up in the past year, adding density and life to this ecosystem. 

Among Chinese automakers themselves, a handful of significant partnerships were made to accelerate the developments of EVs and AVs within the country.

In fact, China is shaping up to be the first real test of Big Tech’s ambitions in the world of car making. 

Take tech giant Baidu for an example, just 11 months after announcing that it is collaborating with automaker Geely to start a new company to build connected, autonomous electric vehicles, Baidu, which runs Chinese top search engine and a mapping app, announced that they would start mass production of its first “robot” EVs in 2023.

JiDU Auto, the electric vehicle venture between Baidu and Geely, would make EVs that are of the autonomous Level-four (L4), which needs no human intervention, Baidu Chief Executive Robin Li said during the company’s Baidu’s annual developers’ conference on Monday. 

JiDU was established only in March this year and in a mere 207 days, the venture reached the stage of developing intelligent driving and intelligent cockpit for a SIMU car.

This has set a new record in the industry, according to the CEO — last August, the internet company had launched a robocar with L5 autonomous driving capabilities. 

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This time, the automotive robot, deemed by Baidu as the ultimate form of vehicle transportation in the future, will demonstrate JiDU’s three aspects of their product philosophy.

First, the vehicle will have L4 autonomous driving capabilities to empower freedom of movement.

Second, the robot vehicle can communicate naturally with human beings thanks to the accurate recognition of human-vehicle interaction and speech semantics. 

Finally, the robocar is expected to have the capability to self-learn and self-iterate, which will continue to study user habits and improve user experience based on the habit data.

According to Baidu’s vision, intelligent transportation is the result of the deep integration of technologies as Artificial Intelligence (AI), 5G, and cloud computing into the transportation segment, based on autonomous driving, smart vehicles, and intelligent roads. 

The company also said that intelligent transportation can cut traffic accidents by 90%. Baidu’s autonomous driving capabilities have made rapid progress in recent months. As autonomous driving technologies develop, these vehicles will eventually be safer than human drivers, the company claims.

According to reports, with 115,000 rides provided in the third quarter of the year, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing platform Apollo Go has become the world’s largest autonomous mobility service provider.

Just last month, Baidu and self-driving startup Pony.ai won approval to launch paid, driverless robo taxi services that will see the firms deploy not more than 100 vehicles in Beijing.

According to Baidu’s statement, it would be its Apollo Go service’s first commercial deployment on open roads. The company is aiming for the Apollo Go service to be in 65 cities by 2025 and 100 cities by 2030, Li said during its latest quarterly results.

Besides Baidu, Geely and Pony.ai, Chinese electric-car maker BYD Co. is also apparently building a joint venture with tech startup Momenta to develop autonomous driving technology, according to Reuters.

It is said that BYD and Momenta have established a 100 million yuan three-way partnership to deploy autonomous driving capabilities throughout BYD automobile mannequin strains.

Known as DiPi Intelligent Mobility Co, the new partnership will combine BYD’s expertise in the auto sector with Momenta’s experience in smart driving algorithms, the startup said in a statement on Monday.

Reports are claiming that the preliminary scope of labor will embrace deploying “Level 2 plus” autonomous driving functionality throughout some car mannequin strains.

Separately, even SAIC Mobility, a unit of Chinese automaker SAIC Motor and Momenta, started providing autonomous robotaxi test rides to the general public in a Shanghai district as a part of a trial, earlier this month.

The post More Chinese automakers collaborating on EVs, AVs appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

China is not slowing down its crackdown on Big Tech — if anything, it keeps widening.

After recent back and forth over regulatory loopholes, the country’s internet watchdog finally unveiled draft rules to regulate how domestic firms can list overseas.

The move by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) is seen as a step to govern companies in China applying for overseas IPOs “without complete restriction.”

The draft rule, released over the weekend, is basically an upgraded regulatory framework based on the overseas listing rule drawn up in 1994.

The changes were triggered mainly by the New York IPO by ride-hailing giant Didi Global Inc., which went ahead to list, in defiance of Beijing’s orders to halt. 

Following that, authorities have moved to halt the flood of firms seeking to go public in the US over the last six months.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), however, emphasized that the draft rules aren’t meant to tighten policies for overseas listings.

According to Beijing, these rules are to ensure companies comply with domestic laws governing foreign investment, cybersecurity, and data security.

Laws Chinese companies have to comply with before foreign IPOs

For starters, businesses holding information of over a million users in China must undergo a regulatory review after applying for an overseas IPO.

Given the countless internet platforms in China that have stored information of over 10 million or even 100 million users, this means almost all platforms operating in China that aspire to sell shares abroad need to go through a cybersecurity review.

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Additionally, firms whose overseas listings could threaten national security will be barred from listing abroad.

Details of what Beijing deems as a “threat to national security”, however, vary widely and are detailed in various domestic laws, including the new data security law. 

To top it off, companies whose activities raise cybersecurity concerns would have to go through security reviews.

“Improving the oversight of firms listing abroad comes against the backdrop of opening capital markets, and the regulations are to facilitate more healthy, sustainable and longer-term development,” the CSRC said, according to Bloomberg.

Firms involved in major domestic disputes over assets or core technology will also have their IPOs banned, added the regulator.

The CSRC would also require firms in certain sectors to obtain approval from industry watchdogs before registering with the securities regulator — “The direction of opening up remains intact,” CSRC added.

Debunking rumors, CSRC also noted that companies in China using the so-called variable interest entities (VIE) structure would still be allowed to pursue IPOs overseas after meeting compliance requirements.

The VIE structure has been used since the early 2000s by virtually every Chinese internet company to get around China’s tight restrictions on foreign investments in domestic businesses. 

Overall, the rules are applicable to those companies that are seeking to sell shares abroad and will be also applied to those seeking secondary listings, backdoor listings, or listings via special-purpose acquisition companies.

For those that have already been listed overseas, there will be a grace period of an unspecified duration to comply with local regulations, the CSRC said.

The new rules also raise the cost of violations in the wake of Didi’s delisting. Companies that don’t comply with registration rules could face fines of up to 10 million yuan (US$1.57 million), or face a suspension of the business and/or license.

Currently, regulators are seeking public consultation on the draft rules until January 23, 2021. 

The post China to tighten screws on all foreign IPOs appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

Around a week ago, Chinese electric car start-up Nio unveiled its second sedan, considered as the latest competitor to Tesla Inc.

While the latter may be the world’s best-known manufacturer of electric vehicles (EVs) – Chinese brands are quickly catching up. This time, adding to the list of companies that are giving the American EV giant a run for its money is mobile tech giant Huawei Technologies Co.

Huawei, best known for its telecommunications products and smartphones, isn’t making electric cars of their own but is working with automakers on car technology such as autonomous driving.

At its maiden launch, Huawei introduced the Aito M5–the first model under the Aito brand, (an acronym for “adding intelligence to auto”). 

Huawei’s consumer and business group executive director Richard Yu at the company’s winter product launch event yesterday said that the Aito M5 is part of automaker Seres.

Seres’ cars have previously only incorporated Huawei components, but not Huawei’s design.

That said, Aito M5 is the first car running on Huawei’s HarmonyOS operating system (OS) and it runs on both electricity and fuel, according to Yu.

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Prior to this, Huawei had collaborated with Chinese automobile companies to launch cars like the SERES Hybrid sedan and the Avatar 11 electric SUV.

That said, this is not Huawei’s first foray into the automobile industry.

How do Huawei and Aito M5 come together?

Integrating the HarmonyOS into the new Seres car in China is a concept that is sought after by many electric car start-ups.

Many reckon that automobiles will eventually grow into a role not unlike the one smartphones play in the lives of consumers.

Reports quoting Yu’s one-hour presentation highlighted the features of Aito M5 which include peak power and driving range that is better than Tesla’s Model Y. 

Unlike Tesla’s cars, however, the Aito M5 is not purely powered by electricity as it has a fuel tank for extending driving range when the battery runs out of power.

“This model also has the ultimate cornering performance, which is stronger than McLaren. Its performance surpasses many fuel vehicles and surpasses many pure electric vehicles,” added Yu.

The Aito M5 interface also provides advanced sense and intelligent functions, “surpassing all models and car companies, such as L2 + level intelligent driving assistance, HarmonyOS smart split-screen”, and others.

To top it off, Huawei’s OS will integrate some of its smartphone-oriented technology into the vehicle. A Huawei smartwatch, for example, can be used to start the Aito M5.

Huawei’s push into electric cars signals a major shift in business focus for Huawei after two years of US sanctions that have cut its access to key supply chains, forcing it to sell a part of its smartphone business.

Even mobile giants such as Xiaomi Corp have been stepping up efforts in the world’s biggest market for such vehicles, as Beijing heavily promotes greener vehicles to reduce carbon emissions.

The post China’s electric car industry heats up as Huawei joins the race appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

Update: Intel issued an apology statement briefly after this article was published.  The tech giant said that its commitment to avoid supply chains from Xinjiang was an expression of compliance with US law, rather than a statement of its position on the issue.

The United States has long criticized China over the alleged widespread torture and repression of the mostly Muslim Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

At the same time, Beijing has repeatedly dismissed all those allegations and claimed it to be borne of “political motivation” and “disinformation.”

Allegations and retaliation from both parties have resulted in continued tit-for-tat sanctions with Washington banning imports from the region and China taking “necessary measures” to prove its steadfastness.

To recall, the Chinese government’s oppression of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the region is not a new phenomenon, but in recent years, has reached unprecedented levels.

By July this year, the White House opted to issue a tough warning to US companies doing business in the Xinjiang province.

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Calling US investments a potential threat, the government has warned American firms that they may wind up breaking the law if they don’t leave the region, a move that has prompted accusations of hypocrisy from Beijing.

In a Xinjiang Supply Chain Business Advisory published jointly by the State Department, Treasury, Commerce, Homeland Security, Labor, and the Office of the US Trade Representative, it was stated that “Businesses and individuals that do not exit supply chains, ventures, and/or investments connected to Xinjiang could run a high risk of violating US law.”

Between a rock and a hard place, there is Intel

In 1985, when Intel entered the Chinese market, it was one of the first American companies to do so following China’s reform and opening-up.

Inevitably, the company has reaped huge benefits from China over those decades — by 2020, 26% of Intel’s revenue came from mainland China and nearby Hong Kong.

Nearly 10% of the company’s properties, factories, and equipment are located in China. 

Yet, to the surprise of many, especially Chinese netizens, the US chipmaker told its suppliers in a public letter to not source products or labor from the northwestern region of Xinjiang.

According to a report by Reuters, Intel said it had been “required to ensure that its supply chain does not use any labor or source goods or services from the Xinjiang region”, following restrictions imposed by “multiple governments”.

Intel just joined sanction on suppliers frm #Xinjiang, China pic.twitter.com/2T7TSJEd1Q

— Carl Zha (@CarlZha) December 21, 2021

The letter has caused a stir and led to severe criticism from Chinese users on Chinese social media, especially Twitter-like service Weibo.

In fact, Bloomberg said a hashtag on the topic has generated more than 250 million views on Weibo.

As the nationalist tabloid run by the ruling Communist Party’s People’s Daily, Global Times puts it, the move by Intel is “an attempt to prove the company’s own innocence under the pressure of the extreme political environment in the US, as well as pleasing US society with some fine words.”

To date, not many American companies have done what Intel did.

Global Times, in a separate report, added: “Most US enterprises, which Chinese people are familiar with, hesitantly and negatively support Washington’s demands to boycott Xinjiang’s products made by the so-called forced labor,”

Experts reckon that Intel “could afford this move simply because there are very few Xinjiang products in its current supply chain, and its CPU is rigidly demanded in China.”

It seems that Intel isn’t worried about retaliation from China and sees this as a move that favors the US and Western world, never mind that China is Intel’s largest international source of business revenue for six consecutive years. 

Even in Europe earlier this year, French authorities opened a “crimes against humanity” probe into four fashion brands namely Uniqlo, Zara-owner Inditex, and French textile firm SMCP (not to be confused with news outlet South China Morning Post).

The move came after complaints from the European Uyghur Institute and other pressure groups that those retailers were profiting from the use of forced labor from Xinjiang.

For context, the Xinjiang region produces 85% of China’s cotton and accounts for about a fifth of global cotton supplies.

A quick apology

Briefly after this article was published, Intel issued an apology statement over its open letter to suppliers. “We apologise for the trouble caused to our respected Chinese customers, partners and the public. Intel is committed to becoming a trusted technology partner and accelerating joint development with China,” Intel said as per Reuters‘ report.

The post Intel under fire in China after shunning Xinjiang appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

For years, there has been a state-led drive to achieve semiconductor independence in China. Then came the pandemic and almost every other month there is news on Chinese tech giants venturing into their own chip side-gig.

The most recent, though, is Chinese phone maker Oppo, who launched its first self-developed chip last week, known as the MariSilicon X.

As more companies in China strive to achieve semiconductor supply autonomy amid a global chip shortage, Oppo aims to continue increasing investment in developing chips in-house.

At the two-day Oppo Inno Day 2021 last week, founder and CEO Chen Mingyong said the name of Oppo’s chip is inspired by the Mariana Trench, the deepest place in the sea in the world, reflecting the difficulties of developing a chip.

“The birth of MariSilicon X signals that Oppo has entered the ‘deep waters’ of R&D. Technology companies must solve key problems with breakthroughs in key technologies. Without core technology there can be no future,” Chen said.

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The chip is being manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) using its 6-nanometer process technology. 

It is the first NPU (neural processing unit) chip designed for imaging at the mobile terminal. It will be featured on the latest series of Oppo’s high-end flagship Find X devices in the first quarter of 2022.

The chip is almost 20 times faster and halves energy consumption for some tasks relative to Oppo’s previous top-of-the-line smartphone, the company said in a statement.

To top it off, Oppo said the MariSilicon X can produce AI-assisted 4K night videos with a high dynamic range, applying image enhancements typically seen on still images to moving pictures.

The MariSilicon project in China is being headed by Qualcomm veteran Jiang Bo.

However, he told reporters that the ongoing global semiconductor chip shortage, even in China, will not affect the production of MariSilicon X. The Chinese phone maker isn’t the first one to have plans on developing in-house chips. 

In fact, other domestic phone makers like Xiaomi and VIVO have also released their self-developed imaging chips, the Xiaomi Surge C1 and VIVO V1 respectively.

Analysts reckon that in-house development of critical chips could also strengthen supply chain controls and potentially ease widespread shortages and disruptions.

Overall, the pandemic, if anything, has fueled a huge need for self-sufficiency, especially among technology giants that are often stuck in between the supply and demand conundrum. 

The post Oppo joins China semiconductor race with self-built chipset appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

Sunway Malls is changing this by installing IoT-supported smart toilets at their Sunway Pyramid mall in Malaysia’s Klang Valley. 

Affectionately dubbed ‘Internet of Toilet’, it is Malaysia’s first commercial smart toilet system using IoT.

Sunway Pyramid partnered with Singapore’s Rigel Technology to optimize commercial toilet performance with the IoT system, primarily for data collection, as part of the mall’s move towards digitalization. 

IoT, or, internet of things, has been around since the Trojan Room Coffee Machine was brilliantly installed at the University of Cambridge in 1991. 

In short — it’s almost as old as the internet.

But these days, things are a little more sophisticated. An IoT device is basically any device that can connect to the internet, receive, transmit and upload data to other devices. And… that’s it. 

Your Fitbit is an IoT device. So is your Smart TV, phone, and even your printer. IoT is also used in industries such as farming, construction, manufacturing, healthcare, mining, and the agriculture, fishing, and forestry industries, for example, especially in conjunction with 5G.

How Sunway Pyramid’s smart IoT toilets work

For Sunway Pyramid, their smart toilet system will manage every washroom’s performance via sensors and monitors attached to consumables such as soap, paper holders, paper towel dispensers and waste receptacles, main water fittings comprising taps, urinals lavatories, and push valves, according to Sunway Malls. 

It will also have environmental monitoring features for air quality, temperature, humidity, people counter, and interactive feedback panes. 

Furthermore, the ammonia sensors will detect ammonia to prevent foul smells in a timely manner. The data will be transmitted to a cloud service that can be managed and tracked through a web platform and mobile smart app.

The smart IoT toilets in Sunway malls will monitor and update the management on various features in their washrooms. (IMG/ Sunway Malls)

Now, the management team will get to monitor the washroom performance, water consumption, and other data that detect anomalies and faults, which can be addressed to reduce downtime, lower cost and reduce water consumption.

It also optimizes maximum workforce productivity, notifying the cleaners of urgent attention in terms of cleanliness, replenishing materials, and instant work allocation.

“We recognize the need to constantly innovate to meet the demands of our customers. From Sunway Smart Parking to Customer Engagement Hub and Sunway eMalls, our journey in digitalization, innovation, and technology has just begun,” said Chin.

This is not the first time the mall has used tech to boost its services and amenities. It first introduced Sunway Smart Parking, a cashless and ticketless system, as well as an integrated Customer Engagement Hub to address customer needs wherever they are. 

Why an Internet of Toilets?

Under the previous maintenance system, supervisors often had trouble with cleaning performance, faulty equipment, and breakdowns as well as ineffective communication with technicians. 

Set to deploy this month, this new smart toilet system using IoT aims to reduce or even eliminate (pun unintended) crappy user experiences in their toilets.

Sunway Pyramid’s general manager, Jason Chin said Sunway has always been an advocate of smart cities and sustainable townships.

“Our venture into the IoT system complements this concept that encompasses a holistic vision, going beyond just being environmentally friendly.

“Another aspect is in elevating experiences for our customers, which translates to providing excellent facilities and high-performance facility management. That’s what we aim to achieve with IoT,” he said.

According to Sunway, these ‘Internet of Toilets’ are only available in Sunway Pyramid, but there are plans in the pipeline to introduce more within Sunway in the future.

Smart toilets of the future?

Southeast Asia is a rapidly developing region, having decades ago struggled with basic amenities such as public sanitation and access to water, as opposed to most of the Western world.

Toilets are, undeniably, an important place to keep hygiene standards up — so much so that ASEAN has its own standards guide on what good public restrooms ought to be like.

This is especially true for commercial toilets with high human traffic as it breeds a plethora of pathogens, and in an era of Covid-19, populations would benefit from more sanitary public restrooms. 

Whilst Malaysia’s Sunway Pyramid’s smart toilets aren’t exactly the pinnacle of cutting-edge technology, it is a… breath of fresh air (sorry) for the commercial toilet space. Especially for Malaysia, a country notorious for uh, not exactly having the best of Asia’s toilets. 

Smart toilets of the future purport to introduce features that are more individually-tailored, such as being able to detect and monitor signs of disease.

But for the time being, at least in Southeast Asia, it’s baby steps still to improve sanitation, just like how Sunway Malls is doing with IoT.

The post Sick of crappy loos? Smart IoT toilets roll out in Malaysian mall appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

Bangladesh is joining more than 60 other countries with the fifth generation of mobile internet connectivity. The country introduced 3G cellular technology in October 2012 and 4G technology in February 2018.

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Bangladeshis to benefit from Nokia and Teletalk 5G network

The country has 17.69 million cellular subscribers and 12 million mobile Internet users among four cellular operators.

Only 28% of subscribers have used 4G networks, while the adoption of smartphones is 41%. Experts say that the technology is set to change how people use their phones and consume data for consumers and businesses.

Users will benefit from faster internet and smoother telecommunications services after introducing the 5G technology.

The commercial test will be rolled out through a cluster-wide deployment in the Dhaka metropolitan area at 200 locations by 2022, focusing on commercial and government offices.

The technology will help develop smart manufacturing through cloud-based wireless robotic control, wireless electronic health services, and live broadcasting in social networks.

“We’re thrilled to be the first company in Bangladesh to deliver 5G, as part of our broader vision for enhancing connectivity,” said Shafin Ahmed, CEO of Teletalk.

“5G is a major milestone for us and we look forward to furthering our efforts on introducing innovative technologies that improve the lives of consumers,” he added.

The technology behind the 5G roll-out

In the initial deployment phase, Nokia will provide equipment from its latest ReefShark System on Chip-powered AirScale equipment portfolio, including its 5G AirScale Digital Baseband Unit with a plugin capability to add capacity where it is needed.

It will also supply its high-performance 64TRX AirScale massive MIMO Adaptive Antennas to cover all deployment scenarios, including dense-urban environments and wide-area coverage.

“We are delighted to continue our longstanding partnership with Teletalk and take it into the 5G era. Teletalk and the Bangladeshi government have broad ambitions to drive societal change through a foundation of 5G networks. The network expansion and modernization initiative will help Teletalk attract new subscribers in the rural region and reduce churn in the urban areas. Our global experience will enable Teletalk to offer enhanced customer experience to its subscriber”, said Mark Atkinson, Senior Vice President, Radio Access Networks PLM at Nokia.

5G technology to change society

“4G has changed life, 5G will change society. And we are happy to be a part of this key initiative towards that journey. We shall partner with Teletalk to build the necessary infrastructure for a superior 5G network,” Kevin Xu, chief technical officer at Huawei Bangladesh, said in a statement.

“Initially, we have been chosen to provide more than 65% of initial 5G sites. Huawei has been working in Bangladesh to build a fully connected, intelligent nation for more than 21 years and we will responsibly continue this journey.”

The prime minister’s ICT affairs adviser, Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed, inaugurated the 5G service virtually as chief guest.

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