The Russia-Ukraine war has dramatically shifted the global geopolitical landscape. Countries and companies around the world are struggling to respond. While not as exposed as European nations, Asian nations will undoubtedly feel the spillover effects of the economic sanctions on Russia, as will the ICT industry in Asia/Pacific.

The COVID-19 pandemic had caused lockdown in all markets throughout 2020, and it had helped to create opportunities for many consumer technologies – especially gaming-related devices (PCs and Monitors). According to IDC, the gaming PC market (Desktops and Notebooks) and monitor market in the APeJ region posted a 12.3% year-over-year (YoY) increase in 2020 – reaching 21.7M units.

COVID-19 initially slowed mobile phone sales in the Asia Pacific and disrupted supply chains and demand for certain 5G-related end verticals. However, it also caused an increase in broadband traffic and 5G use cases such as South Korea using 5G to live-stream its 2020 elections and China deploying 5G-powered smart city robots.

Consumers in Asia Pacific are some of the most advanced when it comes to digital engagement with financial services, with 73 percent of consumers believing that they should be able to accomplish any financial task on a mobile device, according to new data released by Forrester Research.

Worldwide volume demand for dedicated consumer video devices, such as action cameras, remained resilient in 2017, according to Futuresource Consulting's new “Dedicated Consumer Video Device Market Report”. The report details how the demand for action cameras continues to be driven by sports enthusiasts, and more increasingly, casual users.