The AII White Paper

Building the Bridge to the Future Dialogue with ASEAN Leaders on the ASEAN Information Infrastructure Recommendations of the IT Private Sector Core Group 28 November 1999, Manila, Philippines The IT Private Sector Core Group: Philippine Foundation for Global Concerns Philippine Pacific Economic Cooperation Committee Foundation for Information Technology, Education and Development Arthur Andersen Cisco Systems Connect! Pte. Ltd. DAI-AGILE debis IT Services Philippines Ericsson IBM Oracle Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company Syabas Technologies Systems Standards Inc.

Revolutions in communication have often been at the center of changes in society. The invention of the movable type is widely considered to

have ushered in the Renaissance as it led to the widespread dissemination of written knowledge. In the same light, the telegraph, the telephone, radio, television, and the fax machine have brought about profound economic and social changes all over the world.

Today, we are in the midst of a new revolution brought about by the convergence of communications and computer technologies. Information Technology (IT) is presently transforming the way we do business, the way we share information, the way governments are run, and the way social services are delivered. In short, it is transforming the way we live.

Information technology is reconstructing the basis of national economic power and holds great potential for changing the global balance of power. IT can reduce knowledge gaps both within countries and between industrial and developing countries.

Already, the member nations of the ASEAN recognize the importance of utilizing these technological developments for future growth. In the Hanoi Declaration of 1998, the Heads of State and Government of ASEAN recognized the need to "continue to cooperate and strengthen ASEAN's capacity in science and technology, particularly in the field of Information Technology." In recognition of this, they resolved to develop the ASEAN Information Infrastructure (AII).

The creation of AII, which will lead to profound transformations in ASEAN societies, is not a responsibility of government alone. The promise of the AII can only be fully realized if the private sector's energies are harnessed in providing for the necessary broadband information networks and suitable applications while governments ensure the legislation of appropriate policies and regulatory institutions to guard against private monopoly power and supplement the market to ensure access for the poor.

The Promise

Imagine how our societies would be radically enhanced if:

• The best schools, teachers, and courses were available to all students, without regard to geography, distance, resources, or disability;
• The vast resources of art, literature, and science were available everywhere, not just in large institutions or big-city libraries and museums;
• Services that improve the health care system and responses to other important social needs were available online, without waiting in line, when and where a person needed them;
• One could live in many places without foregoing opportunities for useful and fulfilling employment, by 'telecommuting' to one's office through an electronic highway instead of by automobile, bus or train;
• Small manufacturers could get orders from all over the world electronically-with detailed specifications-in a form that the machines could use to produce the necessary items;
• One can see the latest movies, play the hottest video games, or bank and shop from the comfort of one's home whenever one chooses;
• One could obtain government information directly or through local organizations like libraries, apply for and receive government benefits electronically, and get in touch with government officials easily; and
• Individual government agencies, businesses and other entities all could exchange information electronically-reducing paperwork and improving service.

The ASEAN Information Infrastructure (AII) can bring about these future benefits to all citizens in ASEAN member economies. Some of these benefits are already being enjoyed by a few in a number of ASEAN countries.

In Vietnam, for instance, e-mail keeps the lender (a relief agency) in touch with borrowers (women in a small community), and helps coordinate loan payments, encouraging the lender to extend more loans. And in the Philippines, a group of subsistence farmers have become pineapple specialists, using telex and fax machines to communicate directly with researchers and market representatives.

These initiatives could be vastly expanded with an ASEAN-wide information infrastructure. Thus, the AII can help remove constraints that keep the poor living at subsistence levels and help them earn higher incomes.

The AII would become the primary platform to create/develop an ASEAN e-community by enhancing economic, political and cultural links among the peoples and governments of Southeast Asia.

The AII can foster economic development in the various ASEAN countries. One way that this can be done is by making information about the ASEAN countries more accessible to potential investors and tourists. Efforts towards this are already underway. The Cambodia Web, the home of the Cambodian network, features general information about Cambodia for travelers, tourists and businessmen. Online are an updated Khmer newspaper, daily updated Khmer radio news, Cambodian laws, regulations and investments. Vietnam Online (www.vietnamonline.net), covers the "ins and outs" of life and doing business in Vietnam. The site contains databases that include archives of local business publications and laws on foreign investment (especially updates on tax and law).

The AII can serve the cause of lifelong learning. With the growing complexity of knowledge, the speed with which it is being updated, and the sheer quantity of information to be interpreted, people today need to engage in structured and systematic learning throughout their lives. Lifelong learning is especially important in developing countries, where many adults did not receive basic education during their youth. With modern communications technologies they can do so at their own pace, outside of their school or the workplace. Also, schools and universities can share teaching materials and resources by e-mail and over the Internet, thus relaxing some of their resource constraints.

The AII can help in strengthening national and regional resilience by making ASEAN governments more efficient through electronic governance. Through the AII, governments can provide information services that will allow citizens to retrieve sorted and classified information on demand (e.g., WWW sites). Governments can also provide communication services that will enhance interaction with individuals (private or corporate) or groups of people (e.g., via e-mail or discussion fora). Governments can also supply transaction services through the AII, allowing citizens to acquire products or services or to submit data (e.g. government forms, voting) online.

ASEAN governments have already ventured into cyberspace. Singapore has a comprehensive one-stop government website (www.gov.sg) which allows its citizens all over the world to access via the web basic, relevant and up-to-date public information about the country. Thailand WWW Virtual Library (www.nectec.or.th) provides directories on government, academic affairs, business/commercial information, organizations, IT standards, Internet maps, Thai newsgroups, the weather, and information on the El Ni