Brunei: Postal services surviving Net and SMS onslaught

Postal services is not a dying industry despite the severe decline
in traditional mail services caused by the Internet and recent
emergence of SMS service, a high-level meeting of Asean postal
service providers was told yesterday. "With rapid changes in the postal industry especially in the last
ten years, much has been said about the future of the postal
services. Some even had relegated the post offices as a thing of the
past," said Dato Paduka Hj Awang Abdullah Bin Begawan Mudim Dato
Paduka Hj Awang Abu Bakar, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of
Communications. "There is no doubt that the traditional mail services certainly have
been severely affected by the advent of Internet and recently by the
emergence of SMS services," he said when speaking as the guest of
honour in declaring open the 8th Asean Postal Business Meeting,
which ends on July 27. "While the continuing trend of reduction of mail letter volume as
experienced by some postal administration is very worrying, others
however, are experiencing steady growth," he said. "Experiences by these dynamic and growth oriented postal services
which abound in all regions of the world show that the postal
services is far from a dying industry and I share the view that the
postal service is here to stay," he said. He noted that accelerating globalisation and deregulation, coupled
with dramatic advances and growth in information technologies, were
forcing the postal services to change. "Regulatory reform, internal restructuring, and the increased use of
technology were transforming the postal services from government
agencies into commercial business with ambitious commercial and
operational goals. "Some postal administrations were even taking the ultimate step of
privatising their operations." He agreed with the opinion that the basic mission has not changed
and that the postal sector must provide universal postal services of
the highest possible quality at the lowest price. "With this mission, in mind, governments, as the custodian of public
policy, and postal services providers have to grapple between the
conflicting demands and imperatives, that is, how can the postal
services operate as independent commercial entities and yet provide
a universal public service, how can the postal administration
cooperate among themselves while at the same time they are also
competing with one another both in their home markets and around the
globe, and how can they move forward through the dramatic
transformation of the communication marketplace." He said, "For the postal service to stay in business, there are many
issues to deal with and tasks that have to be done." "One is in the field of cooperation, that is cooperation amongst
postal administrations themselves and cooperation with other
services providers in order to strengthen their international
networks and to be competitive both at home market and abroad." He noted that the Asean postal community was very diverse.
Its members range from the most advanced postal administration to
small and developing administrations like the Brunei Postal Services
Department. Cooperation at this meeting on matters of common concern will
enhance the collective power of the Asean postal community in its
dealing with other postal administrations outside the region.
Copyright 2001 Borneo Bulletin.
Source: World Reporter (Trade Mark) – Asia Intelligence Wire.BORNEO BULLETIN, 26th July 2001