KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 — A recent study by global communications firm Telenor has found Malaysians to be the most connected people out of eight Asian nations, with 89 per cent spending at least 12 hours using their mobile phones.

Six out of 10 Malaysians surveyed in the Telenor Asia Digital Lives Decoded 2023 study found ways to explore new income streams or switch careers, fostering their personal wellbeing and creating a sense of accomplishment by using their mobile phones to learn photography, video and communication skills.

By making the most out of the internet, 54 per cent of Malaysians said they acquired video skills, 53 per cent photography skills, and 52 per cent communications skills.

"YouTube is not only an entertainment channel but also a channel for knowledge,” said Haakon Bruaset Kjoel, the Malaysian head of investment management in Telenor Asia at the study presentation here today.

"Formal education is not the main source of learning digital skills,” he added, referring to the general population.

"There is optimism in Malaysia in embracing new technology.”

The study was conducted in August and published on October 31.

A total of 1,013 mobile internet users in Malaysia were part of the survey totalling 8,087 from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

The Telenor study of the eight Asian countries showed that an average 48 per cent of adults aged 18-29 used their mobile devices to gain new skills to jump into a different field of work and 33 per cent of them used those new skills to apply for a new job.

In comparison, the Telenor Asia study found four in five Malaysians saying that mobile use at work has aided their career and skill development and 83 per cent attributing mobile use for making them more productive.

But the study also found 67 per cent of Malaysians saying their companies are lagging in using mobile technology, compared to the regional average of only 54 per cent across the eight Asian countries surveyed.

According to the study, three in four Malaysians said their organisations are in favour of Artificial Intelligence (AI) generative work.

But only 39 per cent of Malaysians hope to use AI tools like ChatGPT.

The "Digital Lives Decoded” report presented today covered five key drivers that show how mobile devices enable people to improve their lives through mobile use.

Telenor Asia is headquartered in Singapore, while its parent company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.