What’s keeping Malaysia’s drones from the skies?

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Hi readers,

I’ve always been tempted to purchase a drone. Nah, it’s not for a side hustle, in case you’re wondering, but more of a vanity project: to film my hiking or rock-climbing trips. Maybe I could parlay those into YouTube videos and make some ad money from them.

Anyway, operating a drone, even for recreational use, can be cumbersome. By right, there are laws that one needs to adhere to, including applying for a permit. But like all things, enforcement here in Malaysia isn’t that great, so many people just go about droning at the park or some neighborhood… until something bad happens.

But we’re still talking at the consumer level. Now, what about drone service providers? Right, they’re in for a headache too. Not only do they need to comply with laws and permit requirements, they have to deal with operational matters, including burning cash while waiting for the legal green light.

Malaysia has been selling its drone readiness for some time now. It has sandboxes, tech agencies, and companies that are making international headlines.

The problem is, it’s still lagging on the major drone benchmark: the Drone Readiness Index. Should the country be, though? Think about it – drone services made it to the mainstream over here in 2014. Nine years on, Malaysia’s still stuck with the same policy conundrums.

Usually, progress is benchmarked against its Southeast Asian neighbors.

But that can’t be done for drone services. Homegrown companies have expanded abroad, going beyond Asia and into Europe and North America, for example. Such is the case of Aerodyne, the Malaysian drone poster child.

However, nothing is permanent, including being ahead of the pack. Unless the Malaysian government and its tech agencies step up in ensuring that their drone policies are in line with today’s demands, then the country will soon witness its neighbors overtaking it at some point.

Let’s hope this situation doesn’t come to the proverbial “hare and tortoise” moment because this is exactly what happened with Malaysia’s 5G rollout: It was the first to announce, only to struggle in execution, and now it’s behind all its neighbors, from Singapore to the Philippines.

— Emmanuel Samarathisa, journalist at Tech in Asia

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Image credit: Timmy Loen

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