Malaysia is strengthening its communications infrastructure ahead of the 47th ASEAN Summit, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur from 26 to 28 October.
The aim is to provide a secure platform to protect delegates and ensure operational coordination during the high-level meetings.
Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs leads the initiative through the ASEAN Main Logistics Secretariat (SILA), which oversees logistics, security, and coordination across multiple government agencies.
SILA has deployed BlackBerry AtHoc and BlackBerry SecuSUITE secure communications platforms for both on-site and mobile operations.
AtHoc is a critical event management platform that combines secure emergency notifications with incident response tools.
This enables real-time mobile coordination across agencies.
SecuSUITE is a NATO-certified, military-grade secure voice and messaging solution.
It protects sensitive conversations from interception and espionage targeting mobile communications.
The move follows the successful use of the same technologies at the 46th ASEAN Summit held earlier this year.
SILA’s head, Raja Saifful Ridzuwan Raja Kamaruddin, said, around 80 percent of inter-agency communications are secured, and some are highly confidential and directly tied to the safety of Heads of State and officials.
With BlackBerry, SILA found an encrypted, open communications platform that protects sensitive information while improving coordination, he added.
Help officials monitor movements
AtHoc enables mobile command-and-control, helping officials monitor movements and respond swiftly to weather or security incidents.
This ensures strong coordination across agencies such as the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) using validated, secure information.
During the 46th Summit, 100 liaison officers (LOs) used BlackBerry AtHoc to send secure, location-based alerts and manage coordination.
The upcoming 47th Summit will expand to 150 LOs, all equipped with AtHoc and SecuSUITE on iOS and standard Android devices.
This allows liaison officers to securely communicate with visiting delegations and foreign teams.
It also reduces the number of devices required while maintaining end-to-end encrypted voice and messaging from anywhere.
