Technology, Media & Telecommunications
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Technology, Media & Telecommunications Team →
Meet our regional team of experienced lawyers
At Rajah & Tann Asia, our market-leading Technology, Media and Telecommunications Practice is one of the most established and respected practices in its field in the Asia Pacific region.
We are a leading team for legal services in both traditional TMT fields such as telecommunications, technology, media, data privacy, artificial intelligence, data analytics, smart contracts and blockchain technology as well as high-value specialised areas such as data security and cyberbreach readiness and response, IoT, e-commerce, entertainment, FinTech, Over-The-Top (OTT) and many others.
We help our clients with:
- Information Technology Procurement
- Information Technlogy Regulatory
- Digital Media – Procurement and Regulatory
- Data / Cybersecurity
- Financial Technology (“FinTech“)
- Telecommunications Regulatory
- Telecommunications Infrastructure
- Artificial Intelligence (“AI“)
Featured insights
The Rise of Johor as a Data Centre Hub
In this update, we will delve into the factors that drive the growing interest for data centre investments in Johor, and provide a brief overview on some of the issues that organisations should consider as they contemplate shifting to set up data centre operations in Johor.
Information Technology Procurement
Our broad experience and in-depth knowledge since the start of the dot com-era has enabled us to help numerous state-level IT organisations across ASEAN in drafting and negotiating complex IT procurement contracts based on shared services, outsourcing and PPP models. We set the benchmark as pioneer draftsmen for various cloud computing contract structures, both from a vendor and a consumer perspective in the Asia Pacific region and in the rest of the world.
Information Technology Regulatory
As one of the region’s most experienced teams in this complex and dynamic area, we have been engaged by numerous state-level IT regulatory bodies. For instance, we have been tasked by the World Bank to draft the IT legislation for Mongolia and were also chosen to lead an electronic commerce legislative benchmarking exercise involving over 20 East Asian and Pacific nations. Other major international projects include drafting the ICT legislation for the Kingdom of Lesotho in Africa, working with the World Bank and the UNDP to draft new ICT laws and regulatory policies for the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and ICT mandates in Brunei Darussalam and Bangladesh.
Our lawyers also served on various government committees to advise on IT regulatory policies in the region.
Digital Media – Procurement and Regulatory
Rajah & Tann Asia continues to hold a prominent position in media-related work. We have been involved in major content licensing and digital media matters. We assist clients in content procurement matters such as in the drafting and negotiating of content license and distribution agreements. We also assist in submitting representation to regional media regulators on behalf of our media clients pertaining to securing the necessary statutory right to broadcast, license or distribute all forms of media, both film-based and digital in the Asia Pacific region.
Data / Cyber Security
In almost every industry, companies now collect, transfer, and share sensitive data across various means and applications. At the same time, the legal requirements surrounding data privacy and protection have grown complex. Understanding the importance of skillfully navigating this complex environment, we have a dedicated and long-standing privacy practice within the TMT Group that is widely recognised as a leader in the market.
Our experience in this area includes the provision of advice on a broad range of data / cyber security issues, the drafting of data / cyber breach readiness and response plans and policies and the provision of training in relation to the same, including cyber breach simulation exercises. We have also advised on a host of data protection matters in Asia Pacific throughout a wide range of industries, including IT companies, financial institutions and insurance firms.
Financial Technology ("FinTech")
Digital technology has disrupted the financial services industry and we have proven to be at the forefront of developments in the FinTech sector in Southeast Asia. To provide our clients with a full understanding of the legal and compliance issues in this highly regulated sector, we draw on the cross-practice expertise of our leading teams in Financial Institutions, TMT and Dispute Resolution from across our offices in the region.
We consistently provide innovative legal solutions that are tailored to the needs of every stakeholder in the FinTech sector; these include financial institutions, FinTech start-ups, technology companies, venture capital and private equity firms, among others.
Highlights of our experience include assisting clients on navigating the licensing and regulatory landscape, application of new FinTech SOP processes, conducting due diligence on new start-ups, assisting in building bridges with traditional banks’ FinTech labs as well as facilitating and preparing for presentations and meetings with regulators to access funding and product showcases.
Telecommunications Regulatory
We understand that success depends on how risks are managed in a changing regulatory and compliance environment. We stay constantly engaged with various regional telecommunications regulators on regulatory compliance matters and have been engaged both by the regulators and by players in the telecommunications industry. Our role also extends to acting as the Secretariat of the Asia Pacific Carrier Coalition.
We have managed various telecommunications regulatory submissions for our clients, including engagements by numerous telecommunications service providers and equipment manufacturers to secure telecommunications regulatory clearance in the Asia Pacific region for over a decade.
On the regional front, we have been engaged by the ASEAN Secretariat to facilitate a pan-ASEAN forum on legislative and regulatory reforms to collectively address convergence of IT, telecommunications and broadcasting across all ASEAN member countries.
At state level, the team helped the telecommunications regulator in Brunei formulate a new telecommunications licensing regime, including a regulator’s handbook and telecommunications licences.
Telecommunications Infrastructure
We have extensive experience in complex telecommunications infrastructure procurement agreements based on traditional and PPP models. We were also engaged as the lead telecommunications counsel in the first MVNO arrangements in both Singapore for the US$1 billion Virgin Mobile MVNO and in the first Malaysian MVNO. We have been engaged in several infrastructure projects – most recently, as lead counsel for one of the largest submarine cable rollouts in Asia Pacific, the US$1.5 billion Palapa Ring project in Indonesia.
Artificial Intelligence ("AI")
Our team of lawyers boasts strong AI capabilities, in both thought leadership and technical expertise. We are involved in a wide range of AI-related initiatives, including:
- AI policy shaping: Sitting on various AI committees and panels, we work with the local government to develop policies that not only support innovation, but also safeguard individual rights.
- AI laws and regulations: We advise clients on AI laws and regulations, and help draft AI-related clauses in contracts and other agreements. We also actively contribute to international initiatives which develop global standards for AI best practices.
- AI Legal Tech: We work with technology giants such as Microsoft to develop tools for AI compliance monitoring and reporting. We are also involved in other AI-related Legal Tech projects, such as the tokenisation of electronic transferable records.
With advanced and highly sought-after AI know-how, we are often invited to speak at conferences and offer expert opinion on AI law and regulation by major news agencies.
We are a leader in the field of AI law and technology and well-positioned to guide clients in navigating the complex legal and regulatory landscape, and to develop innovative, and commercially-savvy AI solutions.
More recently, we launched the RTA AI Toolkit, one of the first regional in-house AI portals in ASEAN which helps clients assess and strengthen their capabilities in AI deployment.
Related Links
Recognition
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Innovative Lawyers in Cyber Security & Data Governance AwardFinancial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards Asia-Pacific (2023)
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Tier 1 - TMT (Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam)The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2024)
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Tier 1 - IT, Telecoms & Fintech (Indonesia)The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2024)
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Tier 2 - TMT (Philippines, Thailand)The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2024)
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Band 1 - TMT (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore)Chambers Asia-Pacific (2024)
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Band 2 - TMT (Thailand)Chambers Asia-Pacific (2024)
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Leading Firm - TMT (Vietnam)Chambers Asia-Pacific (2024)
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Spotlight Firm - TMT (Philippines)Chambers Asia-Pacific (2024)
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Top 100 Data Practices WorldwideGlobal Data Review 100 (2023)
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Outstanding - Technology and Telecommunications (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore)Asialaw Profiles (2024)
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Highly Recommended - Technology and Telecommunications (Thailand)Asialaw Profiles (2024)
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Recognised - Technology and Telecommunications (Myanmar, Philippines)Asialaw Profiles (2024)
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Band 2 - Fintech Legal (Singapore)Chambers Fintech (2024)
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"Rajah & Tann [Singapore] has always been a cutting-edge law firm when it comes to knowledge, technology, and the talents within the team. For TMT, it is probably one of the top in Singapore."The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2024) (Singapore)
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“A good team that is always responsive and able to address the situation at hand.”Chambers Asia-Pacific (2024) (Malaysia)
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“They are all commercial and pragmatic lawyers who provide simple advice on complex issues, empowering my business to make decisions and put in place appropriate risk mitigations.”The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2024) (Philippines)
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“Assegaf Hazmah & Partners is thorough and efficient in their research, and their opinions are straightforward, legally sound and timely delivered.”The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2024) (Indonesia)
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"They are able to strike the delicate balance of letting us do what we need to achieve business objectives and yet ensure that that due legal process and compliance is not compromised by providing actionable advice tailored to our needs."The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2024) (Malaysia)
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"R&T [Thailand] have performed excellently and know everything about the market."Chambers Asia-Pacific (2024) (Thailand)
"Fields a team of seasoned lawyers who are well placed to provide expertise on telecoms and technology regulatory matters as well as licensing, data protection and data centre projects."
Our Technology, Media & Telecommunications Team
