Digital economy will contribute 20% of Malaysia's GDP: Salleh

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is of the view that the digital economy will contribute approximately 20% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2020.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said the digital economy will be the focus of Budget 2017, as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak at the recent Budget Consultation Council Meeting.
"We should be ready to play a significant role in accelerating digital economy for the development of the nation," he said after launching the Kuala Lumpur Converge! 2016, themed "Touch The Future," today.
"It is high time that we look into the immense possibilities that the future holds especially in revolutionising the people-centric technology," he added.
He said ICT technologies, particularly broadband, cloud computing, big data and the Internet of Things (IoT) are already driving the digitisation of all industries.
He added one of the biggest concerns in addressing technologies for the future is security.
"The digital network is a double-edged sword, providing much each and yet posing a massive threat at the same time. As custodians of networks, carriers must play a pivotal role in fighting the new threats that are emerging," he said.
"Customers will begin to expect and demand, more proactive protection from the entire internet cause chain, and carriers will be expected to support these expectations with a range of technical and operational innovations," he added.
Meanwhile, Salleh said since its launch in 2014, KL Converge! has managed to pull a multitude of industry, experts, senior government officers, academia locally and international renowned speakers under one roof.
In 2014, an estimated of RM13 million was transacted during this event and in 2015 a whopping RM15million the estimation.