“I think Huawei’s goal is to work hard to develop advanced technologies, and provide cutting-edge services to humanity,” Ren said during a recent interview with Bloomberg TV.

“We will enhance cooperation with any company that is willing to support us,” he told the media in a separate interview. “As the Chinese saying goes, ‘a just cause attracts much support, an unjust cause finds little.’ This is how we are building a united front.”

Huawei Asia-Pacific Innovation Day will be held on September 3 in Chengdu, China. Experts, innovators, scholars and policy-makers will gather to explore innovative and meaningful applications of cutting-edge technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, as well as how they can drive progress in all areas of human endeavour.

At the event, Huawei will unveil its Kunpeng Ecosystem Base. Also to be showcase are the company’s latest innovations around 5G telemedicine and AI application for children with hearing loss.

“Over the past 30 years, we’ve been staying in the front line to serve humanity. Huawei can always be found anywhere at any time, be it in war-torn or disease-ridden regions, or during natural disasters like the nuclear leak in Japan,” said the Huawei CEO.

Ren told the media that in the next five years, the company will invest $100 billion (Bt3.06 trillion) in reshaping network architecture, to make networks simpler, faster, more secure and more trustworthy.

“When information transmission speeds increase, we will see incredible economic growth. 5G is at least 10 times faster than 4G, and faster speeds will drive rapid economic and cultural development,” he said.

According to the company’s 2018 Sustainability Report, innovative technologies have made Huawei’s 5G more energy-efficient, reducing the power consumption per 5G site to 20 below the industry average.

With programmes such as Tech4ALL, which focuses on connectivity, applications and skills, the 5G leader will help 500 million people directly benefit from digital technology over the next five years, according to the report.

“In the information society, children even in remote regions can see what the world looks like. Then they will develop faster, grow more harvests and create more wealth. More people will be lifted out of poverty. All this will benefit society.”

Addressing recent challenges, the CEO said during an interview that the company will not be crushed by US restrictions. “In fact, we are doing even better than before,” he insisted.

In the first half of 2019, Huawei’s revenue reached 401.3 billion Chinese yuan (Bt1.71 trillion), a 23.2-per-cent increase over the same period of last year. The company will invest 120 billion yuan in R&D this year, according to its H1 report.

“We want to satisfy society and people, because our ultimate goal is to serve our customers. Who are our customers? [They are] 6.5 billion people, and possibly more in the future, for more IoT connections. Therefore, we are committed to creating value for customers and ensuring we satisfy people’s needs,” Ren said.

The top five companies paying dividends are Advance Info Service Plc (dividends worth Bt11.23 billion), PTT Exploration and Production (Bt8.93 billion), Siam Cement Plc (Bt8.4 billion), Siam Commercial Bank Plc (Bt5.09 billion) and Thanachart Capital Plc (Bt4.58 billion).

Kasikorn Securities Plc calculated that the dividend payments for the first half topped net profit, which dropped 17 per cent from the same period last year.

“Most of the listed companies have decided to pay the dividend because they’ve delayed their investment plans due to slower national economic growth,” the firm said in a statement. “Paying a dividend to their shareholders is better than keeping cash in reserve.”

Terdsak Taweethiratham, vice president of Asia Plus Securities Co Ltd, said the dividend represented about 54 per cent of net profits from the first half of the year.

TAIPEI (CNA) — A survey of the investment strategies among five major securities houses in Taiwan showed Saturday that their top picks for September are among the companies that are devoted to developing 5G technology.

The survey, which has compiled the survey results among Capital Securities, Fubon Securities, President Securities, KGI Securities and Cathay Securities, found that 5G concept stocks would be the top picks for them, followed by Apple concept stocks and auto stocks.

As one of the analysts who favors 5G-related stocks, Li Fang-kuo (黎方國), chairman of Uni-President Investment Consulting, said he recommended Taiwanese suppliers to Chinese smartphone brand Huawei Technologies Co., which has been gearing up to grasp a large share of the 5G market.

Among the 5G concept stocks, the local media reported recently that Hsinchu-based integrated circuit designer MediaTek Inc. is expected to receive orders from Huawei to supply 5G chips in the first quarter of next year, and the new business is expected to serve as a driver to the Taiwanese firm’s shipment growth for 2020.

Li said that while trade tension between the United States and China has sent ripples through the global financial markets, investors had better take a close look at those stocks that have a niche market, such as 5G technology.

Li said he also has hopes that the launch of the next-generation iPhones will allow Apple suppliers in Taiwan to enjoy growing sales momentum for the rest of this year.

Earlier this week, Apple issued an invitation to the press to a “special event” Sept. 10. While the U.S. consumer electronics giant did not release more details about the event, the market has widely anticipated that the company will unveil three new iPhone models.

Among the major suppliers in Taiwan for iPhones are assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. and smartphone camera lens maker Largan Precision Co. Apple accounts for more than 40 percent of the two companies’ total sales a year, according to market estimates.

In addition to 5G and iPhone-related stocks, Capital Marathon Fund’s Shen Wan-chun (沈萬鈞) said he also favored stocks related to the development of electric cars at a time when more and more consumers are putting emphasis on an eco-friendly environment.

Shen said he also has faith in companies that have devoted themselves to artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.

In August, the weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, or Taiex, fell 205.76 points, or 1.90 percent, from July, as the U.S. and China increased trade tariffs on each other’s goods with no signs that the trade dispute will be resolved any time soon. On Friday, the Taiex ended at 10,618.05 points.

Li said the U.S. Federal Reserve is likely to cut its key interest rates again in a policymaking meeting in September after a reduction in July, to assuage the impact resulting from the trade war, so that the stock market could ride the wave of rising liquidity in the month.

The debut of the new iPhones and a back-to-school buying spree, Li said, is expected to lend more support to the local main board next month.

The analyst said the Taiex could move between 10,460 and 10,920 points during the month.

https://chinapost.nownews.com/20190901-720631

As the world’s most prominent mobile technology standards organisation, 3GPP was responsible for the development of some of the most popular mobile technologies in modern telecommunications, including GSM (2G), WCDMA (3G), LTE (4G) and NR (5G).

A long-term advocate for telecommunications technology standardisation, MediaTek is grafeful for the recognition and support the RAN2 Working Group has extended to the company. In his new role, Johansson will finalise Rel-16 and contribute to the standardisation work of future releases.

According to the 3GPP roadmap, the RAN2 Working Group will focus on developing L2/L3 protocols for Rel-17 next year, which is expected to enhance support for eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband). It will also include additional functionality that supports mMTC (Mass Machine Communication) and URLLC (Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications), two other major use cases of 5G, and enable new market opportunities in mobile broadband and emerging IoT applications.

Since 2009, MediaTek has been actively working in close collaboration with 3GPP to promote standardisation. Between the launch of 4G networks and now, MediaTek has quadrupled its number of published technical papers, amassing great expertise in core 5G technologies.

MediaTek’s long-term and extensive contribution to the industry is highly recognised by its counterparts. The company has hosted various technical meetings for 3GPP since 2015.

Prior to his current role within the working group, Johansson was vice chairman of 3GPP RAN2 in 2017.

Moving forward, MediaTek will continue to work with global telecommunications partners to drive the evolution of 5G and post-5G technologies.

Visy Packaging (Thailand) Ltd is Asia’s leading producer in food and processed fruit packaging from innovative materials and using advanced production technologies. Unique features of its products include high heat resistance, extended shelf life and recyclability that meet the needs of leading brands worldwide.

Roongrote Rangsiyopash, SCG’s president and chief executive officer, said that amid the challenges of fluctuating raw materials and energy costs and higher competition in the packaging business market, SCG is still able to capture opportunities in the growing packaging industry that continues to thrive in both Asean and other parts of the world.

SCG remains committed to its goal of building a long-term sustainable growth, said the president.

“Recently our packaging business completed an 80 per cent share acquisition in Visy Packaging (Thailand) Ltd from Visy Singapore Investments Pte Ltd, the current shareholder and a holding company within the Visy Group.

This transaction is valued at approximately Bt4.341 billion and will be processed via SCGP Rigid Plastics Co Ltd, a 100-per-cent owned subsidiary of the packaging business.

Visy Packaging (Thailand) Ltd is an advanced thermoformed food packaging producer from innovative materials. Its high quality cups, trays and jars carry unique features, such as high heat resistance, which also helps prolong product shelf life, as well as being light weight and recyclable.

It is also viewed as a safe option to substitute for conventional metal containers. These products are well accepted by global brands who seek high quality food packaging in a growing market such as Asean, which is the world’s hub for food and fruit production, he said.

“The acquisition of major shares in Visy Packaging (Thailand) Ltd will strengthen the packaging business of SCG, both in terms of revenue growth and competitiveness. It also reaffirms our positions as a global brand partner for sustainable packaging solutions,” Roongrote added.

As of June 30, 2019, Visy Packaging (Thailand) Limited had recorded revenue from sales of Bt1.77 billion, with a total of 100 employees and total assets of approximately Bt2.01 billion.

‘Whizdom Club’ offers services and amenities such as Whiz Café, Whiz Kid (a play zone), Whiz Den (a guru zone for mentorship), Whiz Around (a dream lab), Whiz Live (a training room hosting events and workshops), and Whiz Exchange (a shop with Whizdom merchandise).

“I extend my best wishes to the company in contributing to building an innovative ecosystem for the creative and collaborative growth of young professionals,” said Thailand’s ambassador to India, Chutintorn Gongsakdi, at the opening.

Ms Chulamas Jitpatima, Director of MQDC India Real Estate Private Limited, said the space would not only host creativity and ideas but also nurture and support its members for a better tomorrow.

“The aim of this innovative space will be to provide a co-working hub that will help corporations, rising entrepreneurs, aspiring students, and SMEs to meet their business and networking goals in an inspiring environment,” she said.

Before launching ‘Whizdom Club’ in India, Whizdom held a startup challenge and brand ambassador programme in India.

The Whizdom Innovation Challenge provided incubation support to startups and gave them a global platform. The ambassador programme selected 5 students from top colleges and universities to represent Whizdom Club India for a year.

Chawalit Tippawanich, president and CEO of Global Power Synergy Co Ltd (GPSC), said that the New Yangon Development Co Ltd (NYDC) of Myanmar has chosen PTT Group, comprising PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) and GPSC, to develop the electricity production system in New Yangon City, which borders Yangon.

“For the later steps, the PTT Group will further discuss the details and talk with GAIL (India), which won the contract for sourcing natural gas for the development of the New Yangon project. PTT will require the natural gas supplied by GAIL for the development of the project,” said Chawalit.

“It is too early to disclose details of the project as discussions between all parties are pending. The production of electricity must take into account the demand for electricity in the area, both in household and industrial sectors,” he added.

NYDC announced the development of New Yangon City project last year. The new area will be built on 20,000 acres of agricultural land on the opposite bank of the river from Yangon. It is expected that the New Yangon City project will create two million new jobs. The project is waiting for approval from the central government.

Chawalit said that in terms of investment in Myanmar, PTT Group is also following the progression of two possible projects. The first is the Gas to Power project with a capacity of 600 megawatts on which GPSC and PTTEP will collaborate to cater to the demand for electricity in Myanmar by using natural gas as its fuel. The supplied gas will come from Zawitka and M3 fields in Myanmar. A second project is currently under wraps.

“For GPSC’s total business plan in the next five years, we aim at having 5,500 megawatts in overall power production capacity, of which one-third will from conventional fuels, such as oil, gas, and coal. Another third will from alternative energy and one-third from the operational growth driven by parent company PTT, which will focus on expansion both domestically and within the Asean Economic Community,” he said.

Wain joined Thai Union in March 2011 as Commercial Director at John West, where he was a member of the executive team and helped drive John West’s branded commercial channels to a position of market leadership. In November 2017, he became a member of the Thai Union Europe leadership team when he was appointed General Manager, Chilled UK & Foodservice Europe.

Thai Union Group is a global seafood leader bringing high quality, healthy, tasty and innovative seafood products to customers across the world for more than 40 years.

Thai Union is today regarded as the world’s largest producer of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding Bt133.3 billion and a global workforce of more than 47,000.

He said since the digital disruption, the banking sector’s return on equity(ROE) has dropped from 20 per cent in the past ten years to just 10 per cent. The bank has now adopted digital technology with up to 60 per cent of its customers embracing mobile transactions: 36 per cent using ATM compared to four per cent opting for counter service at bank branches.

“We have invested Bt40 billion since 2016 in the transition to digital banking and cut service cost to lower than 30 per cent to boost our net profit,” he said.

He added that nowadays retail and other businesses can do what banks have been doing, such as payments, insurance sales and other financial services.

“We must embrace technology and be creative in order to improve our services, catering to the demands of our customers. We will increase our information technology staff from 800 to 3,000 in the next five years in a bid to match our services with customer demands in the long term,” he said.

The programme, which began in May, was conducted by UOB (Thai) and The FinLab, in collaboration with the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa), the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and the Office of SMEs Promotion (OSMEP).

Under the guidance of business, creative and technology experts in Thailand and across the region, the SMEs reviewed their business models, identified opportunities for improvement and mapped out long-term digital transformation strategies. The SMEs also evaluated and piloted technology solutions curated from more than 350 applications received by The FinLab.

The solutions addressed various business challenges, including how to apply data analytics to understand existing and new customers better, how to use digital marketing to increase leads and sales, and how to improve efficiency through business process optimisation. These were very much in line with the findings of an online survey conducted by The FinLab, where SMEs in Thailand said their top two business growth strategies are entering new markets (54 per cent) and using digital marketing to grow sales (51 per cent).

“The Smart Business Transformation Programme demonstrates our commitment to helping Thai SMEs embrace and be equipped for the growth opportunities presented by the digital economy,” said Tan Choon Hin, president and chief executive of UOB (Thai). We recognise the active role we can play in contributing to the Thailand 4.0 initiative, which aims to help Thai SMEs innovate and adopt technology. With our established and integrated network across the region, UOB (Thai) is well-positioned to partner SMEs in their ambition to grow their businesses domestically and overseas.

Felix Tan of The FinLab echoed that sentiment, saying: “The Smart Business Transformation Programme clearly showed that each of these 15 SMEs have the drive and desire to transform their business. Throughout the programme, they displayed their commitment to tackling the issues within their businesses and openness to incorporating new ideas and digital solutions. With the know-how they have gained, they will not only be able to continue their business transformation but will be in a stronger position to face future challenges. These outcomes augur well for Thailand’s economic and business landscape, and also support the Thailand 4.0 initiative which aims to grow the GDP contribution from SMEs to 50 per cent by 2025.”

One of the SMEs to complete the programme is MCC Industrial New 1999, an automotive company which manufactures accessories for 4×4 off-roaders. Through the programme, MCC 4×4 Accessories connected with digital solutions that can help smoothen its business processes, such as Workforce, a Thailand-based labour management software. It also gained management skills to implement these solutions effectively.

The company’s business development manager Chanokporn Sirananont was pleased with the result. “The Smart Business Transformation Programme has better equipped us to drive continuity and change, which is important to us as a family-run business looking to expand in the digital economy. We are now more confident to drive digital transformation, and are currently working with partners and digital solutions to implement workflow processes with faster turnaround and greater efficiency.”

Wisan Wanasaksrisakul, chief executive of Warrix , agreed. “The Smart Business Transformation Programme has helped us develop a structured approach to managing and to scaling our business. Recognising that a strong foundation is key to sustainable business growth, we are working closely with technology solution providers such as Boostorder to digitalise our core processes and sales channels. This approach will help us meet our online sales growth target of 15 per cent by year-end.”