The Ministry Of Communication And Information Is Proud Of WIR Group Entering The Ranks Of The Prestigious Metaverse Companies According To Forbes

JAKARTA - The Indonesian company that has been developing the WIR Group's augmented reality technology has been included in the "Metaverse Companies to Watch in 2022" list by the international business magazine Forbes GE. This achievement makes Kemenkominfo proud.

The prestigious list contains the world's leading technology companies such as Apple, Microsoft, to Facebook, which recently changed its name to Meta Inc.

"We are proud that WIR as the first Indonesian company to receive this international recognition, and we also continue to coordinate with them to update each other regarding its development from the innovation side and also of course from the regulatory side," said Minister of Communications and Informatics Johnny G Plate in a press release, quoted by Antara, Thursday, November 11th.

WIR Group, in the press release, is referred to as a leading company and market leader in digital reality technology (artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality) in Southeast Asia.

WIR, which stands for We Indonesians Rock, Rise, and Rule, has been around for more than 10 years and produces programming and augmented reality technology innovations to more than 20 countries, with guidance from the Ministry of Communication and Informatics as well as a partnership with the Ministry of Investment/Investment Coordinating Agency ( BKPM).

The digital universe "metaverse" is a collaborative universe that combines human interaction with avatars as well as various products and services between the real world and the digital world without boundaries where everything can take place simultaneously and in parallel.

The concept of "metaverse" was originally a science fiction concept which as technology and connectivity developed became a reality that continues to grow and become more real.

Johnny assessed that although the "metaverse" is a new universe, it will affect people's livelihoods, as well as using resources, connectivity, and all elements of Information Technology in Indonesia.

He said that coordination with other ministries and agencies is absolutely necessary, considering that interactions between humans through avatars that occur in the "metaverse" will also require other agencies and institutions currently run by the government.

As an Indonesian company that already has 5 global patents in augmented reality and is registered in both national and PCT covering 153 countries, WIR has been asked to participate by the Ministry of Investment/BKPM to represent Indonesia in the world event, including at the side event of the World Economic Forum in Davos last year. 2019 and 2020.

Minister of Investment/Head of BKPM Bahlil Lahadalia said his party brought WIR to an international forum to open the world's eyes that Indonesia's potential is not only in the plantation, mining, tourism, and manufacturing sectors, but also in the digital and creative technology sectors.

"The digital and creative-technology sectors are important in the formation of the metaverse, where Indonesia opens up opportunities for foreign investors to build various 'factories' of metaverse components in this country," said Bahlil.

“Metaverse” is not very new to Indonesians, but it was recently echoed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in his speech when he changed his company name to “Meta”.

With the increase in global human interaction in the digital realm, individual collaboration exists to create new universes with new rules, and by using various technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality.

“The world of this metaverse is limitless, but to navigate and interact in this world requires special ways. We participate in building the metaverse with our expertise in developing the latest augmented reality that can answer the needs of the future metaverse,” said CEO of WIR Group Michael Budi.

According to him, WIR Group is very fortunate to be able to develop with the guidance of two Ministries in Indonesia, namely the Ministry of Communication and Information and the Ministry of Investment, so that it can always create new innovations that are relevant and in line with the country's vision and goals.