Malaysia Developers' Day 2013: Driving innovation for entrepreneurship

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: To drive entrepreneurship in the area, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is joining forces with AT&T to host a Developers' Day in Kuala Lumpur Sept. 7-8, 2013.

Open to developers and non-developers alike, participants will have 24 hours to form teams and turn their small-business idea into a mobile app - all while vying for cash prizes totaling US$14,000 (MYR44,000) to further invest in their ideas.

The AT&T/MCMC Developers' Day is the first such event held in Asia Pacific by the two host organizations. Designed as a catalyst for innovation and entrepreneurship, the event will provide attendees with the resources, education and networking structure needed to produce quality apps in less time and at lower cost.

Participants will have access to AT&T's Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) - already built-out code that accesses the power of AT&T's network - which they can quickly plug into their apps for added functionality, such as speech-to-text and voice recognition. Moreover, AT&T's experts will be on hand to lend assistance where needed, transferring technology knowhow to the local innovators.

"We are committed to engaging with developers worldwide to deliver a new generation of innovative, powerful apps that leverage the deep capabilities of the AT&T network," said John Donovan, senior executive VP of AT&T Technology and Network Operations. "This event complements our ongoing efforts to provide developers with the right tools and opportunities to capitalize on mobile technology's transformative power, helping us enhance the communities we touch and better the world in which we live."

Echoing the sentiment by AT&T, MCMC Chief Planning and Development officer, Dato' Mohd Ali Hanafiah, feels the inaugural Developers' Day will serve as a useful platform to nurture creative app designers for Malaysia.

"Through this event, we will be able to witness the hidden talents and creativity of each participant. More importantly, it also showcases the ability of our local app designers to compete with the best in the world. Indeed, this augurs well for the future of the app industry in Malaysia."