LIVE FROM GSMA M360 APAC, SEOUL: The GSMA urged governments, the private sector and other stakeholders to prioritise safe, responsible and sustainable development and use of technologies including AI as it published its latest research into the role of emerging technologies in driving digital nation ambitions in Asia Pacific.

Head of APAC at the GSMA Julian Gorman told Mobile World Live the Digital Societies report focuses on what governments in Asia Pacific need to do to integrate technologies and services into every sector of the economy.

It covers five key components of what is needed to build a digital nation: infrastructure; innovation; data governance; security; and people.

It also looks at how emerging technologies including AI, blockchain, drones and quantum computing, can play a role in building digital nations.

Gorman said as digital technologies and services play an increasingly central role in the economies of Asia-Pacific countries, two vital needs are a whole-of-government approach and international collaboration, in view of the cross-sector and -border implications of digital policies and initiatives.

In its report, the trade association noted high-speed connectivity is the bedrock of a digital nation, with mobile broadband networks now accessible to 96 per cent of the population in Asia Pacific.

Mobile operators in the region will spend $259 billion on their networks between 2023 and 2030, it predicted.

The GSMA said there is an opportunity for policymakers to complement this commitment by reducing the fiscal burden on the mobile industry, ensuring access to spectrum under the right conditions and implementing other measures to support the timely and efficient rollout of much-needed advanced network infrastructure.