AVIA’s Satellite Industry Forum highlights the resilience of the satellite industry and the key role it will continue to have in this age of connectivity

SINGAPORE, Oct 8, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) held its annual Satellite Industry Forum (SIF) as a virtual conference, from 24 – 25 September, which allowed for truly global participation with delegates from around the world in attendance. The event also saw over 100 new companies register to be part of the two-day discussions on Video in the Satellite World.

The event opened with on a note of optimism from Louis Boswell, AVIA CEO. Despite unprecedented challenges and disruption for the industry in recent years, more video is being created, distributed and consumed than ever before, and satellite continues to play an indispensable role in delivering that video. "Satellite's strength in multicasting across wide areas cannot be matched by any other technology," commented Boswell.

Continuing with the tone of optimism was Yew Weng Soo VP, Sales & Market Development, SES Video, SES, and Chairman of the Satellite Industry Committee. "The satellite industry is playing a key role in fighting the outbreak with a scale and reach in helping to inform, entertain and keep all connected," added Soo. "Video and particularly satellite, will not just bounce back but use this time to transform itself to change consumer behaviour and thrive in the post Covid world."

At the opening Asia Pacific Thought Leaders' Panel, Terry Bleakley, Regional VP, Asia Pacific, Intelsat, shared that the resilience of Intelsat's business was having a diversified portfolio. Through crossing many verticals across the markets they served, a downturn in one business saw an upturn in another. Bleakley also added how important satellite has been for this pandemic, especially in remote environments and how essential satellite was for remote connectivity, creating further opportunity for consolidation and vertical integration.

Another opportunity that the satellite industry also identified was the role female leadership could play in fostering greater change for the sector. At this year's Women in Satellite panel, discussions centered around the importance of diversity to be part of the policy dialogue for the Information and Communication Technology sector, to show that the industry was supporting gender equality and bridging the gender divide. Nicole Robinson, SVP Global Government, SES, shared that a 2020 Catalyst study showed very strong links between profitability of businesses and workplace diversity. Added Anita Bernie, Strategic Business Manager, KISPE Space, "Diversity is a smart business decision. Diversity not just to hit quotas or to tick a box but to bring alternative thoughts and ideas." Bernie also commented that for an organisation to do better in the world of today, and to be better prepared for the future and the pace of rapid change, it needed a team that is representative of the world it lives in and the customers that it reaches and serves.

The topic of integration followed through to the closing panel of the conference, with industry leaders weighing in on what would drive global growth for the industry in the next decade. On the question posed on whether satellite should be an integrated component of the telecom value chain and ecosystem, Roger Tong, CEO, AsiaSat, opined that "satellite should not be integrated but we can integrate our services… there are multiple fronts that we can compete and succeed in [and] serve the customers with the best that we can do." Optimism continued to prevail, with Tong sharing his view that video will continue to be the driving force for the satellite industry.

As part of SIF this year, AVIA in partnership with EMEA Satellite Operator's Association (ESOA), also distributed a booklet on Satellite – An Integral Part of the 5G Ecosystem. This is now available at the Download Centre at www.avia.org

Satellite Industry Forum is generously supported by AsiaSat, Boeing, Eutelsat, GEOshare, Integrasys, Marsh, Maxar and MEASAT.

About the Asia Video Industry Association

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy and provides insight into the video industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry. AVIA is also committed to its mission in working with and representing the interests of the satellite industry. AVIA evolved from Casbaa in 2018.

For media enquiries and additional background please contact:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

CITIC Telecom CPC and ASTRI Transform Customer Experience with AR-based Operations and Maintenance Solution

HONG KONG, Sep 24, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited (CITIC Telecom CPC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1883) and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) have introduced a jointly developed Augmented Reality (AR) solution designed to transform field engineers' operations and maintenance processes. Branded DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand Service (AR Remote Hand), the solution leverages wearable Augmented Reality (AR) technology and brings CITIC Telecom CPC's field engineers and its customers to a new era, enabling them to slash the time and cost of troubleshooting and maintenance for achieving better results.

Mr. Esmond Li, CEO of CITIC Telecom CPC (left) and Mr. Hugh Chow, CEO of ASTRI announced the launch of "DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand Service", an AR solution jointly developed to transform field engineers' operations and maintenance processes.

(From the left) Mr. Daniel Kwong, Chief Information and Innovation Officer of CITIC Telecom CPC, Mr. Esmond Li, CEO of CITIC Telecom CPC, Mr. Hugh Chow, CEO of ASTRI and Dr. Lucas Hui, Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI pictured to celebrate the success of the partnership and AR-based Operations and Maintenance Solution.

The "DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand Service"meets the growing customer demand for support in managing the increasing complexity and diversity of equipment used today in data centres via the state-of-the-art solution. It enables field engineers across multiple locations to overcome the challenges of multiple languages and skillsets in multi-technology environments; as well as to manage installation and maintenance issues more efficiently and cost effectively, resulting in improved customer satisfaction

The AR Remote Hand Service employs AR glasses to stream real-time intelligence, troubleshooting logs, graphics and encrypted data from back-end systems to on-site engineers and maintenance staff, boosting field productivity by up to 50%. By wearing the glasses, field engineers do not have to stop their work to communicate with back-end support teams via a laptop or phone, nor to refer to a paper manual. The AR Remote Hand provides field engineers with a heads-up display for remote visualisation in real time as they install, maintain or troubleshoot equipment, thus speeding up the whole process.

Global-Local Service Enabler
CITIC Telecom CPC and ASTRI share the same vision in driving innovation and enhancing customer experience. Through the partnership, both companies not only take the latest AR technology to the next level, but also bring those benefits to a wide range of industries.

The new DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand Service meets the growing customer demand for support in managing the increasing complexity and diversity of equipment used today in data centres via the state-of-the-art solution. AR Remote Hand enables field engineers across multiple locations to overcome the challenges of multiple languages and skillsets in multi-technology environments; as well as to manage installation and maintenance issues more efficiently and cost effectively, resulting in improved customer satisfaction.

With the DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand Service, remote support teams share the same view as on-site engineers which reduces the need for and expense of travel time. This ability to work effectively from remote locations is also helping CITIC Telecom CPC's customers and staff stay safe in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure safe operations and maintain service infrastructure availability by the global remote service support teams, CITIC Telecom CPC is using DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand Service in its China Data Center operations to assure regional customers' business operations continuity.

"We are delighted to see the results of our strategic partnership with ASTRI in the launch of AR Remote Hand Service," said Mr. Esmond Li, CEO of CITIC Telecom CPC. "The partnership has provided us with a solution that significantly strengthens our managed services offerings, greatly enhances the customer experience and is revolutionising the industry's operations and maintenance capabilities. DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand is an innovative remote maintenance service adopted in data centre scenarios, which leverages AR intelligent operations and maintenance technologies. This is only the first step and we will not stop here. Through collaborating more innovative thinking, we expect to enhance the service to cope with more scenarios and bring more value and better customer experience to enterprises."

"Our strategic collaboration with CITIC Telecom CPC has demonstrated the success in leveraging next generation technology in real-life applications that benefit our people and society, in this case smart industrial applications and field service management solutions for Hong Kong enterprises," said Mr. Hugh Chow, CEO of ASTRI. "We are delighted that our applied research has proven effective in enhancing CITIC Telecom CPC's customer experience, improving operational efficiency and boosting business resilience, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. ASTRI, as a bridge of innovation and technology, will continue to strive to create economic value and societal impact via technology transfer and commercialisation in building a smarter and safer Hong Kong."

In their collaboration, ASTRI focused on developing the software platform and customisation, while CITIC Telecom CPC provided related information and opinions based on its experience with business cases in various scenarios and applications. This ensured the solution could effectively address enterprise customers' needs across a range of industries. The result is a solution that offers a wide array of benefits in service provisioning and remote location visualization and communication capabilities:

Intelligent Service Provisioning without Boundaries

Field engineers managing complex equipment and procedures for on-site service previously required significant time and effort which reduced efficiency. Thanks to the innovative wearable AR technology, the AR Remote Hand service now substantially reduces the time and cost for field service provisioning while boosting capabilities. Customers can solve problems faster while minimising downtime and expense.

1.) Intuitive AR-Guided Installation, Troubleshooting and Maintenance: With AR Remote Hand, field engineers recognise any device with a designated QR code and access real-time intelligence, graphics, and encrypted data from back-end systems streamed on-site. Field staff can access virtual step-by-step guides or even 3D manuals via AR glasses, without the need to interrupt work to check information on a laptop or in a manual.

2.) Historical Records Analysis: Using a pre-set routine (e.g. gestures), on-site engineers can review a device's historical record (e.g. customers' network traffic or cloud CPU history), to speed up data analysis and troubleshooting, while cutting downtime and cost.

3.) Seamless Communication and Collaboration with Back-end Support: Field engineers previously communicated with back-end support via email or phone, making it difficult to describe a troubleshooting situation. Removing distance and language barriers, back-end engineers now view real-time images streamed via AR glasses through an AR operations console, improving operational speed and quality. Its powerful video conferencing feature also offers engineers instant support and fosters off-site collaboration between global operations and maintenance teams. In addition, back-end engineers can give field engineers clear instructions via 3D AR labelling.

AR-Enabler Acts as Customers' Remote Hands

While enterprises promote cross-regional operations and continuously develop businesses, the kinds of IT equipment used are diversified with fast upgrades, making daily IT operation and maintenance management difficult. In the past, maintenance of IT equipment was done by on-site professionals who would need to investigate and analyse the issues on-site in order to identify the solutions. However, the experience and capability of IT staff can vary. When an enterprise's IT and maintenance staff face situations they cannot fix or when its professional engineers are not able to go for on-site support, urgent maintenance can be delayed, compromising the enterprise's efficiency and putting it at risk.

In exceptional circumstances, such as the current pandemic, it's difficult for enterprises' IT staff to travel to data centres and manage their equipment. Equipped with the latest AR glasses development, CITIC Telecom CPC's DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand serves as customers' remote hands. It not only shows the status of on-site equipment as customers watch in real time from offices or other locations, but also lets customers to provide live instructions to CITIC Telecom CPC's on-site engineers as they troubleshoot equipment issues without physically being in the data centre.

"At CITIC Telecom CPC, we are constantly innovating to improve the customer experience," said Mr. Daniel Kwong, Chief Information and Innovation Officer of CITIC Telecom CPC. "We plan to extend the AR Remote Hand service for further customer use and will enlarge the list of equipment support. Adding AI applications for the AR glasses will be the next milestone as we work to deliver even more intelligent diagnoses. For example, when a field engineer sees the status of the target-fixing equipment through the AR glasses, they will be shown a number of possible causes for the problem, with each cause ranked with a percentage according to how likely it is to be the source of the problem."

Game-Changing Innovation in Algorithm Design

Innovation Never Stops. The innovative AR Remote Hand solution is the result of the hard work of CITIC Telecom CPC's data scientists and R&D experts based in Chengdu, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. In addition to developing the solution using AR technology, CITIC Telecom CPC's innovation team recently received an award that highlights its engineers' expertise in data science and algorithm design.

CITIC Telecom CPC's Data Science professionals won the "Tianchi Big Data Competition" organised by Alibaba Group in a fierce competition with over 900 teams from industry leading companies and top universities. The team helped ELEME Inc., an online food delivery platform, to optimise their food ordering and delivery with better algorithms to provide the best routes for their riders with full consideration of the location of food stores, the time needed for food preparation, traffic on the rider's route, service coverage in delivery areas, peak hours for food ordering, and customer waiting times.

The judges expressed their impression of the team's innovative thinking and algorithm calculation results, not only to achieve the fastest delivery time but also the shortest extra waiting time for customers. In the future, we expect the algorithm developed by the team will continue to add value for businesses of different industries and for the social community in a range of scenarios, such as optimising traffic flow or improving plane flight paths.

About CITIC Telecom CPC
We are CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited ("CITIC Telecom CPC"), a wholly owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1883), serving multinational enterprises the world over by addressing their specific ICT requirements with highly scalable tailored solutions built upon our flagship technology suites, comprising TrueCONNECT(TM) private network solutions, TrustCSI(TM) information security solutions, DataHOUSE(TM) cloud data center solutions, and SmartCLOUD(TM) cloud computing solutions.

As a leading Global Local ICT Solutions Partner with worldwide footprint across East to West and native presence, we truly live our motto, "Innovation Never Stops." Being a preferred Digital Society Enabler, we lead our key markets at the forefront of pioneering ICT development, embracing AI, AR, Big Data, IoT, and other cutting-edge emerging technologies to transform technical potential into real-world value for our customers, helping them achieve higher productivity, agility, cost-efficiency, and ultimately, Digital Globalization.

As one of the first managed service providers in Hong Kong to achieve ISO 9001, 14001, 20000, 27001, and 27017 ICT-related certifications, CITIC Telecom CPC delivers on our superior quality commitment through a broad global self-managed infrastructure encompassing some of the highest growth markets in Asia, Europe and America, with over 140 points of presence, 18 Cloud service centers, 30+ data centers, and two dedicated 24×7 Security Operations Centers.

For more information please visit www.citictel-cpc.com

About ASTRI
The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) was founded by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2000 with the mission of enhancing Hong Kong's competitiveness in technology-based industries through applied research.

ASTRI's research and development strategic focus covers five areas of applications: Smart City; Financial Technologies; Intelligent Manufacturing; Health Technologies; and Application Specific Integrated Circuits through its mandate as the Hong Kong branch of the Chinese National Engineering Research Centre.

Our core competence in various areas is grouped under five technology divisions, namely Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics; Communications Technologies; Cybersecurity, Cryptography and Trusted Technologies; Integrated Circuits and Systems, and IoT and Sensors.

ASTRI seeks to develop technologies that address the needs of industries, institutions and communities in Hong Kong; as well as nurture talent to create economic value and societal impact. To date, ASTRI has transferred more than 750 technologies to the industry and owns more than 850 patents in the Mainland, the US and other countries.

For further information, please visit www.astri.org.

Media Contacts:

Rowena Leung
CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited
(852) 2170 7536
Email: rowena.leung@citictel-cpc.com

Jeanette Kwok
Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute
(852) 9103 0633
Email: jeanettekwok@astri.org

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

If Content is King, then TV and Streaming continue to vie to be Queen

INDIA, Sep 21, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) held its annual Future of Video India seminar amidst a time of great change in the region.

The media and video industry in India has undergone more change in the last 6 months than it has seen in the last 30 years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Sunil Lulla, CEO, BARC India, with the surge in viewing as a result of the lockdown in India, television viewing peaked to 1.26 trillion viewing minutes during lockdown and continues to be greater than pre-COVID levels. More advertisers and brands are also returning to TV as the economic recovery speeds up.

While TV continues to play a big role in India, the move to digital has been dramatically hastened as digital consumption increased rapidly, with the next 18-24 months being significant for broadband penetration and digital video streaming on TV at home, commented Tarun Katial, CEO, Zee5 India. The other major shift is how subscription video on demand (SVOD) has changed the game. "People have moved to watching premium content very significantly… The diversity of content that has come into this country… is now getting appreciated… and almost all SVOD users are becoming repeat and consistent users," added Katial.

This love for content is what has driven the growth of the streaming platforms. "India has always been a land of storytellers… and that's a great opportunity at Netflix… there is an opportunity to tell the story in the best form," said Srishti Behl Arya, Director International Originals, Netflix India. Anvita Dutt, Director, Bulbbul, also shared that streaming had provided an opportunity and empowered more storytellers to tell their stories, regardless of their gender, and "there is no limit to what you can release on a streaming platform."

However, with over 30 OTT platforms India, this also creates challenges on the technology front. With over 500 million internet users in the country, out of which at least 400 million are consuming video on various devices, "this is going to change the way content is consumed… produced… and offered to the consumers across the platforms," added Manish Verma, Head of Technology, SonyLIV. And wrapping up with the view of who rules in India, Chiranjeev Singh, Head of Marketing, APAC, MediaKind, said, "At the end of the day, the consumer is the king… we still need to build quality content, and make sure it is delivered with the best experience to the consumer."

Future of Video India is graciously sponsored by Applause, Broadpeak, Conviva, MEASAT, NETFLIX, Vuulr and ZEE5.

About the Asia Video Industry Association

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy and provides insight into the video industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

For media enquiries and additional background please contact:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

AVIA Hosts the Satellite Industry Forum Focusing on Video in the Satellite World

SINGAPORE, Sep 18, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) will be hosting this year's Satellite Industry Forum (SIF) as a virtual conference, taking place over two days, from 24-25 September, 930am-1130am (SGT).

As Asia's leading satellite conference, the theme of Video in the Satellite World will look at the key conversations driving the industry today, with industry leaders sharing their thoughts on The State of the Satellite Industry with the Impact of COVID-19, a view on Asia with the outcomes from WRC-19, and weighing the Bear vs Bull Case for 5G. There will also be much conversations on the coming year, as we look at Satellite Financing and what to watch for in 2021, if it will truly become the landmark year for 4K UHD, and what will Drive Global Growth for the industry in the next decade.

Speaking at the Industry Leaders Talk will be Christophe Cazes, CEO of Eutelsat Asia. In this opening panel, Cazes will be sharing his perspectives and predictions on the satellite industry over the course of the coming year.

"Satellite industry in Asia has been undergoing a big transformation with the emergence of new players and the launch or investment in satellites of new generation. The COVID-19 situation will either be a catalyst or a disruptor of these trends," said Cazes.

This year, the conference will also be taking a look at Women in Satellite, a predominantly male industry, for a conversation on their perspectives, challenges and ideas for putting together best practices to strengthen gender equality both in the sector and within our organisations, as well as their perspectives on what the industry might look like in the coming year. This panel will bring together Anita Bernie, Strategic Business Manager, KISPE Space, Nicole Robinson, SVP Global Government, SES Networks, MD, SES Techcom Services, Aarti Holla-Maini, Secretary General, EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA), and Tina Ghataore, President, Mynaric USA.

"I've seen a small shift in women being invited to speak at satellite forums – and not just on topics related to diversity in the industry – but clearly more needs to be done. I look forward to the day when I'm invited to speak and I see around me panelists reflecting both gender and cultural diversity," commented Ghataore.

Other key speakers joining the Satellite Industry Forum this year include:
– Marc Halbfinger, CEO, PCCW Global
– Yew Weng Soo, VP Sales & Market Development, SES Video, SES
– Terry Bleakley, Regional VP, Asia Pacific, Intelsat
– Shakunt Malhotra, MD, Asia, Globecast
– Roger Tong, CEO, AsiaSat
– Lon Levin, President & CEO, GEOshare
– Alvaro Sanchez, CEO, Integrasys
– Paul Estey, EVP, Customer Relations and Advisor to CEO, Maxar Technologies
– Mark Dankberg, CEO, ViaSat

The Satellite Industry Forum aims to deliver as close an experience as possible to a physical event. All delegates will be able to enjoy a full event platform which will include access to the live conference sessions, virtual networking opportunities as well as meeting rooms to connect and engage with industry peers during the conference. All sessions will also be available for catch-up viewing on demand after the live event.

For full event details and registration, visit https://www.aviasif.com/

Satellite Industry Forum is generously supported by AsiaSat, Boeing, Eutelsat, GEOshare, Integrasys, Marsh, Maxar and MEASAT.

About the Asia Video Industry Association

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy and provides insight into the video industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry. AVIA is also committed to its mission in working with and representing the interests of the satellite industry. AVIA evolved from Casbaa in 2018.

For media enquiries and additional background please contact:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Huge Decrease in Levels of Streaming Piracy Seen in Malaysia Over the Last 12 Months

KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 17, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – A new study of the online content viewing behaviour of Malaysian consumers has found a massive 64% decrease in consumers accessing piracy websites over the past 12 months. The survey, commissioned by AVIA's Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and conducted by YouGov, found that 22% of online consumers currently use piracy streaming websites or torrent sites to view pirated content, substantially less than the 61% from a similar survey conducted in August 2019. The YouGov survey also found a 61% reduction in the number of consumers who use an illicit streaming device (ISD) when compared to the August 2019 survey.

More than half (55%) of online consumers had noticed that a piracy service had been blocked by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (MDTCA). This would appear to have had an impact on consumer attitudes towards piracy, with 49% stating that they no longer accessed piracy services and 40% stating that they now rarely accessed piracy services as a result of not being able to access blocked piracy sites. 11% of consumers said it made no difference to their viewing habits.

Desmond Chan, General Manager of TVB International commented: "We are encouraged by the efforts of MDTCA in fighting online piracy with their site blocking campaign. Malaysia is an important market to our content distribution business. TVB's programmes are popular in Malaysia and have always been the targets for piracy. The swift anti-piracy measures provided by MDTCA will foster a business environment in which we will continue investing."

Melcior Soler, Global Audiovisual Director at LaLiga commented: "This substantial reduction in online piracy in Malaysia is a sign of the success of the actions undertaken by the MDTCA. Piracy only benefits the criminal organisations who operate the websites and illicit applications and harms society as a whole, especially those who work every day to generate content and entertainment for everyone. LaLiga will continue to fight against the problem of online piracy."

The continual site blocking has had an impact on consumers viewing habits who are now more likely to access legal content services. 20% of consumers who said they were aware of the government blocking piracy websites and illicit application domains, have since subscribed to a paid streaming service; 15% said they now spend more time viewing free (AVOD) local streaming services; and 65% now predominantly watch free (AVOD) international streaming services.

Neil Gane, General Manager of AVIA's Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) said: "We applaud the MDTCA for disrupting piracy website networks which are being monetised by crime syndicates. Consumers who subscribe to illicit IPTV services or access piracy streaming sites are wasting their time and money when the channels and websites stop working. Piracy services do not come with a 'service guarantee', no matter what their 'sales pitch' may claim."

When asked about the negative consequences of online piracy, consumers placed funding crime groups (57%), loss of jobs in the creative industry (52%) and malware risks (42%) as their top three concerns.

YouGov is an international research and data analytics group. For further information, visit https://hk.yougov.com. Study conducted in September 2020. All data is weighted to be representative of the online population. Sample size: Malaysia n=1,123

About the Asia Video Industry Association:

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy through its Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) programme and provides insight into the industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

For media contacts and additional background:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

CITIC Telecom CPC Achieves VMware Cloud Verified Status

HONG KONG, Aug 27, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited (CITIC Telecom CPC), a wholly owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1883), today announced it has achieved VMware Cloud Verified status.

VMware Cloud Verified Logo

The Cloud Verified designation indicates that a VMware Cloud Provider offers their customers consistent infrastructure and operations through a complete set of software-defined services for networking, storage and compute. The Cloud Verified badge means customers achieve unmatched levels of consistency, performance, and interoperability for both traditional or containerized enterprise applications, and the confidence that the service is based on the most advanced VMware cloud technologies available.

"Attaining VMware Cloud Verified status is a milestone achievement for CITIC Telecom CPC. This designation demonstrates that we can provide our customers with services and solutions consistent with the standards of advanced VMware cloud technologies. Working with VMware significantly strengthens our network and cloud offerings," said Taylor Lam, SVP of Product Development & Management, CITIC Telecom CPC. "Market demand for hybrid, multi-cloud, and virtual network solutions is rising rapidly. The VMware Cloud Verified badge signifies that our SmartCLOUD(TM) Cloud Computing solutions can keep up with expectations by providing customers with VMware Cloud Infrastructure. With this, we can not only provide our customers with reliable IaaS service but can also deliver flexible virtual network (NSX), virtual storage (vSAN), and SD-WAN solutions that suit our customers' digital transformation needs. It further showcases that the combination of VMware products with our full-fledged ICT portfolio, certified Professional Services and years of managed service experience can provide a unique value to our customers."

"Partners that are VMware Cloud Verified provide organizations with complete and advanced VMware Cloud technologies, along with interoperability across clouds for greater advantage for their customers' businesses," said Vijoo Chacko, VMware Cloud Provider Program Leader, APJ, VMware. "Cloud Verified services delivered by VMware Cloud Providers can provide the efficiency, agility, and reliability inherent in cloud computing. We look forward to supporting CITIC Telecom CPC as it empowers organizations with a simple and flexible path to the cloud."

VMware's global network of more than 4,300 cloud providers leverage VMware's consistent cloud infrastructure to offer a wide array of services in over 120 countries, provide geographic and industry specialization, and help customers meet complex regulatory requirements

For information on how to become a Cloud Verified partner, please visit: https://www.vmware.com/partners/service-provider/vmware-cloud-verified-logo.html

About CITIC Telecom CPC

We are CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited ("CITIC Telecom CPC"), a wholly owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1883), serving multinational enterprises the world over by addressing their specific ICT requirements with highly scalable tailored solutions built upon our flagship technology suites, comprising TrueCONNECT(TM) private network solutions, TrustCSI(TM) information security solutions, DataHOUSE(TM) cloud data center solutions, and SmartCLOUD(TM) cloud computing solutions.

As a leading Global Local ICT Solutions Partner with worldwide footprint across East to West and native presence, we truly live our motto, "Innovation Never Stops." Being a preferred Digital Society Enabler, we lead our key markets at the forefront of pioneering ICT development, embracing AI, AR, Big Data, IoT, and other cutting-edge emerging technologies to transform technical potential into real-world value for our customers, helping them achieve higher productivity, agility, cost-efficiency, and ultimately, Digital Globalization.

As one of the first managed service providers in Hong Kong to achieve ISO 9001, 14001, 20000, 27001, and 27017 ICT-related certifications, CITIC Telecom CPC delivers on our superior quality commitment through a broad global self-managed infrastructure encompassing some of the highest growth markets in Asia, Europe and America, with over 140 points of presence, 18 Cloud service centers, 30+ data centers, and two dedicated 24×7 Security Operations Centers.

For more information please visit www.citictel-cpc.com

VMware, VMware Cloud, VMware Cloud Verified and VMware Cloud Provider are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions.

Media contact:
Rowena Leung
CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited
rowena.leung@citictel-cpc.com
(852) 2170 7536

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

InfoComm Southeast Asia 2021 GoVIRTUAL: Shifting Events Online to Serve Businesses

SINGAPORE, Aug 27, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – COVID-19 may have disrupted the events industry, but event organizers like InfoCommAsia are continuing to play the critical role of connecting businesses by shifting their events online.

As its premier showcase for global Professional AudioVisual and Integrated Experience Solutions in Southeast Asia – InfoComm Southeast Asia – will be held in 2021 instead of 2020, InfoCommAsia has launched a powerful virtual platform to serve businesses in the year-long lead-up to the actual event.

On the need for the platform which is named InfoComm Southeast Asia 2021 GoVIRTUAL, Mr. Richard Tan, the executive director of InfoCommAsia, said: "With the worldwide disruption to industries and events, it is more critical than ever that exhibitors continue to have the platforms to seek out new clients, and for visitors to search for cutting-edge technology solutions to meet swiftly evolving needs in the new digital era.

"GoVIRTUAL is an intuitive platform we have developed which allows businesses to meet those needs, anywhere and anytime. This will allow our exhibitors and visitors to continue doing business from wherever they are in the run-up to InfoComm Southeast Asia 2021."

The platform, which is already running, will not only functionally replicate the in-person show experience with a range of easy-to-use features, it goes beyond to augment the business experience for all participants.

A Powerful Twin Engine

In addition to webinars and product showcase pages, the platform's unique features include Virtual Product Demonstrations – which enable exhibitors to demonstrate their products and solutions anywhere including from their offices, experience centers or onsite and carry out real-time dialogues and interact with buyers who are watching online – and Livestreaming, which allows thousands to observe and hear the proceedings from around the world at the same time.

In addition, GoVIRTUAL utilizes AI algorithms to generate valuable lists of the most relevant prospective clients for exhibitors. These lists are derived based on visitor registration data, and data collected over time on how these visitors interact on the platform – the webinars they attend, the solutions they search for, and the exhibitors they network with.

Networking and interaction can be conducted 24/7 via multi-layered chat tools from one-to-one chats to private meetings and small-group networking lounges.

Mr. Tan said, "As tech event organizers, this is also an opportunity for us to embrace new ways of helping businesses to achieve the greater outcomes. GoVIRTUAL not only allows our exhibitors to promote their solutions both visually and with audio in real-time while conversing with buyers, the AI helps them to pre-qualify their prospects. It is exactly what they would be doing in their booths at our show."

New Date for InfoComm Southeast Asia 2021

InfoComm Southeast Asia 2021 is rescheduled to take place from 20-22 October 2021, while the venue remains unchanged at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre.

Last announced that it would be held from 19-21 May 2021, the dates were pushed back owing to new COVID-19 developments in Southeast Asian countries, some of which are still grappling with managing the situation. Vaccines, if successfully developed, are not likely to be made readily available until mid-2021.

Said Mr. Tan, "We, therefore, rescheduled our show to October to de-risk it and ensure that our exhibitors and visitors will have a safe and enjoyable experience. But what is key is that our exhibitors remain invested in Southeast Asia, which has been identified as a growth market in 2021."

According to a report by research and consulting firm Frost and Sullivan, the region is projected to become the world's fourth-largest market after China, the European Union and the United States, by 2030. Its GDP is forecast to increase from US$2.4 trillion in 2015 to US$5.2 trillion in 2025.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also driven up demand for digital applications and innovations in the region.

Added Mr Tan, "Through GoVIRTUAL, and InfoComm Southeast Asia 2021, businesses can leverage the growing potential of the Southeast Asian region, and be a part of its post-pandemic growth story."

Updates from InfoCommAsia can be found at: www.infocomm-sea.com

About InfoCommAsia

InfoCommAsia Pte Ltd. extends its influence through three marquee shows: InfoComm Southeast Asia, Beijing InfoComm China and InfoComm India. Each show comprises an exhibition that showcases the world's most cutting-edge and in-demand inventions, and a Summit that presents learning opportunities. Bringing together industry players and top-level decision-makers from across all industries, the shows enable industry players to tap into the vast potential presented by the Professional AudioVisual and Integrated Experience Technology markets of each country and region.

Additional information is available at:
– infocomm-sea.com
– infocomm-china.com
– infocomm-india.com

For more information, please contact:

Rest of the World
Angie Eng
Senior Marketing Manager
InfoCommAsia Pte Ltd
angieeng@infocommasia.com

Thailand
Patrick Jirakittichaijaroen
Senior Project Manager
Expo Inter Co., Ltd
patrick.infocommasia@expointer.net

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Domain.id Marketplace Officially Launched

JAKARTA, Aug 26, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – The premium domain marketplace from Indonesia, called domain.id, has been introduced to the public as the first Domain marketplace in Indonesia. The marketplace officially saw the soft launch on August 25, which was held during the annual Indonesian Internet Domain Name Registry (PANDI) event, PANDI Meeting 11.

Domain.id is a marketplace that focuses on selling, buying and auctioning domains, this marketplace offers competing and competitive domain name prices, and the ease of buying and selling domains. Not only that it is super easy to set up by the registration form, it is also very convenient to the buyers.

Another strenghth is that in domain.id marketplace, the domain name options are widely ranged in languages with unique words and premium limited character options. .id could be ideas, identitiy, ideology, it could perfectly match any business, organization, or even for any user very own personal website. With all of that advantages, they targeted not only the domestic, but also International market.

PANDI Chief Registry Operator, Muhammad Shidiq Purnama said, that using a domain is the most important element for a website. "Domain is closely related to website. The key to the success of a website is in the selection (wording) in the domain itself, so that it is easier for others to say and remember," said Shidiq.

Furthermore, Shidiq said that the domain.id marketplace activities are around selling, buying and being the middleman in the domain industry.

"The presence of the domain.id marketplace expected to be a meeting place between sellers, buyers and middlemans in domain marketing so that the digital ecosystem can run well. We also only focus on selling premium domains, because the branding will greatly increase the exposure of the premium domain user brand itself," he said.

Shidiq said that for the first stage, the target of domain.id will be focused on the domestic market, as well as expansion to several countries in Asia, Europe and America. In the future, domain.id hoped to continue famed to various parts of the world, so that it can compete with similar marketplaces made by other countries.

The advantage of the domain.id marketplace compared to other marketplaces is in the domains it sells, where domain.id sells premium domain names with "beautiful" names. In addition, there are still high avaibility of domain name options, so that the user can freely choose premium domain names as they wish.

Shidiq hopes that domain.id be the main choice in the domain name industry, and that it can compete with the existing domain industry-based marketplaces that exist today. "We hope that domain.id be the first choice of users in buying domains, so that they can become a reference and compete with other marketplaces around the world," Shidiq concluded.

The Domain.id Marketplace is one of PANDI's products. Besides Domain.id, which you can access at www.domain.id, PANDI has other exciting products, such as https://s.id/, a link shortener to shorten your links, as well as a Single Sign On product, which is linked to an Indonesian goverment site at www.u.id.

Contact:
Ratih Ayu
Business Development
+62 8118885159
Busdev@domain.id

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Colt launches Internet Access On Demand in Singapore

SINGAPORE, Aug 24, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – Colt Technology Services has extended 'on demand' capability to its premium business internet offering in Singapore, becoming the only provider in Singapore and the region to provide customers with IP Access On Demand via its SDN-enabled On Demand platform.

As a 'pay as you use' commercial model, enterprises can benefit from high bandwidth and agile internet connectivity, provisioned quickly without signing up for any long term contracts. Enterprises now take full control over their internet connections, flexing bandwidth up and down in near-real-time with a feature-rich self-service portal removing complicated service delivery processes and lead-times. For existing Colt On Demand customers, there is no need to add another port. The same physical port enabling On Demand Ethernet and On Demand Cloud connections can be used for IP Access On Demand – enabling seamless and efficient connectivity.

This new IP Access on Demand service is backed by Colt's wholly-owned and managed metro area network in Singapore, part of the global Colt IQ Network, which connects to more than 900 data centres and 29,000 on-net buildings globally. Since its launch in 2017, Colt's metro area network covers over 90% of Singapore and 95% of the Central Business District. With Colt being the only non-native carrier in Singapore that fully-owns its network, as well as fibre metro networks in key Asian cities (including Hong Kong, Tokyo and Osaka), the U.S. and major European cities, Colt is perfectly positioned to offer Singapore-based enterprises seamless connectivity solutions. Colt has branches and offices located around the world and provides a unique proposition to the local market.

Today's business environment requires flexibility more than ever, and enterprises need connectivity solutions that can react to business challenges in real-time for them to continue to be successful. Colt's On Demand offering has grown from strength-to-strength, with the current expansion in Asia enabling connectivity across business hubs around the globe.

Warren Aw, Regional Director in Singapore, says: "The launch of Internet Access On Demand in Singapore will give a big boost to our business. Colt is in a unique position as we are the only On-Demand internet access Service Provider in Singapore. We can support organisations should they require our market-leading portfolio when moving into the region. We are also well placed to support local organisations and existing customers in their drive for more efficient, innovative services as they continue their digital transformation journeys."

"Even though we are living in unprecedented times, we need to make sure organisations can remain connected and continue to drive their businesses forward. What differentiates Colt from other providers is our ever-growing global footprint, connecting 52 metropolitan area networks, 210 cities and over 29,000+ on net buildings. We are in the best position to support enterprises through our secure and stable network, which can connect to their business locations globally with ease."

About Colt

Colt strives to transform the way the world works through the power of connectivity. The Colt IQ Network connects 900+ data centres across Europe, Asia and North America's largest business hubs, with over 29,000 on net buildings and growing.

Colt understands business connectivity requirements and provides high performance and high bandwidth solutions to enable customers' success, with Colt's vision centring on being the most customer oriented business in the industry. Customers include data intensive organisations spanning over 210 cities in more than 30 countries. Colt is a recognised innovator and pioneer in Software Defined Networks (SDN) and Network Function Virtualisation (NFV). Privately owned, Colt is one of the most financially sound companies in its industry and able to provide the best customer experience at a competitive price. For more information, please visit www.colt.net.

Press Contact:
Nola Pocock – Head of PR
+447917714377
nola.pocock@colt.net

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Pendulum swings back towards optimism in Thailand in View

BANGKOK, Aug 24, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) held its first country focused seminar of the year with Thailand in View, a deep dive into the media and video industry in Thailand, and the pursuit of growth in the market across both traditional and online platforms.

Thailand's media industry is undergoing seismic transformation driven by technological and commercial change. With the first commercial 5G networks becoming available to consumers as early as next year, there is no doubt the market will see continued acceleration in the consumption of content across multiple devices and platforms.

For Truevisions, Thailand's leading cable and satellite tv operator, Ongard Prapakamol, Chief Media Officer of True Corporation commented, "This is a time where we need to reinvent our pay TV to see a new S-curve." Prapakamol shared that their strategy is to have different platforms serving different consumer needs, offering multiple services as a "super-app", across free-to-air, Pay TV as well as streaming via their digital service, TrueID. This has enabled True Corporation to move from 99% of their revenue coming from Pay TV subscription when Truevisions first launched in Thailand, to only 60% now, with 30% from advertising across TV and digital, and the remaining 10% coming from a growing events arm which also includes licensing of True's original content.

This growth in multi-platform consumption has also led to a plethora of regional and international OTT services launching in the Thai market, with iQiyi, China's largest streaming video service, launching earlier this year. Kelvin Yau, VP of International Business Department and GM Thailand, iQIYI International, discussed their strategy for growth in Thailand. "It's AVOD plus SVOD plus more… for iQiyi, SVOD is more than just a streaming service," commented Yau. iQiyi will continue to focus on content and the technology they have, "but there is still so much more we haven't shown to… users about what the app can do."

With the growth of OTT comes greater diversification of ad spend in video, and greater importance of the AVOD model. However, not all video is created equally, and there needs to be a better understanding of why OTT warrants the premium that is charged, when media planners look for the best platform that advertisers should invest in. "OTT is the perfect love child between TV and programmatic," added Nigel Kwan, VP of Marketing, APAC, SpotX. "You've got the impact and quality of the TV ad… [with] all the measurement capabilities and data capabilities of programmatic."

However, challenges still remain and there is much work to be done in the area of measurement. But Greg Armshaw, Head of Media, Brightcove, ended the day's sessions on a positive note, "There's definitely opportunities for growth… clearly we are not at the reach situation yet… but it is growing very quickly."

And to sum it up in the words of AVIA's Chief Policy Officer, John Medeiros, who, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, reversed the words of economist John Maynard Keynes, "In the long run there is a lot of life to live, but we must get there first."

Thailand in View is graciously supported by Presenting Sponsor, True Visions and our sponsors, Akamai, Conviva, TV5MONDE and Vuulr.

About the Asia Video Industry Association

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy and provides insight into the video industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

For media enquiries and additional background please contact:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com