KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s mobile connectivity penetration has soared to 130 per cent, according to a report by cloud communications provider Infobip.
The report revealed that mobile adoption in Asia-Pacific has exceeded saturation, with most markets recording penetration rates above 100 per cent. Hong Kong tops the list at 264 per cent, followed by Singapore (150 per cent), Taiwan region (145 per cent), Japan and South Korea (140 per cent each), and China (110 per cent). Emerging markets such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and India also post rates at or above 110 per cent.
Infobip noted that this era of hyper-connectivity is reshaping consumer behaviour. Users now switch fluidly between super-apps like LINE, WeChat, KakaoTalk, Zalo, Viber, and WhatsApp—sometimes mid-conversation—and expect brands to keep pace with instant, context-aware, and culturally relevant engagement.
“While customers are always connected, many businesses still lag behind,” the report said. IDC-backed research underpinning the study shows that 43 per cent of Asia-Pacific businesses view improving customer experience as their top operational challenge. Barriers include siloed data, fragmented channel strategies, and the high cost of providing 24/7 support across diverse markets, languages, and regulations.
The findings highlight the growing role of artificial intelligence—particularly generative AI, agentic AI, and conversational AI—in helping brands streamline operations and deliver real-time, connected experiences.
Asia-Pacific is not just mobile-first but also mobile-saturated, said Velid Begovic, Infobip’s vice president of revenue for APAC. “People use multiple messaging apps daily and expect brands to keep up without delays or repetition,” he said, adding that outdated systems and basic chatbots without customer history cannot meet these demands. “AI is now critical for delivering the highly personalised experiences today’s customers expect.”
