The Asia-Pacific region is no longer just defined by its mobile-first digital culture, it is now fully mobile-saturated.
With SIM card penetration reaching unprecedented levels, the region is redefining how consumers interact with technology, and how businesses must adapt in response.
By 2028, artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to drive over $32 billion in customer-related transactions across Asia-Pacific, highlighting the rapid shift from traditional customer service models to fully AI-powered experiences.
Mobile is A Way of Life in Asia-Pacific
Mobile connectivity in Asia-Pacific is far beyond global averages. Hong Kong has seen SIM card penetration climb to a staggering 264%, while Singapore stands at 150%, followed by Taiwan at 145%.
Japan and South Korea each hover around 140%, with other countries such as China and Malaysia not far behind.
Even developing markets such as Vietnam, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines show penetration rates above 110%. This means that most individuals carry multiple mobile devices, or at least multiple mobile identities.
This hyper-connectivity has transformed communication habits. Users regularly switch between platforms like WhatsApp, WeChat, LINE, KakaoTalk, Viber, and Zalo, often within the span of a single conversation.
Such digital fluidity has trained consumers to expect fast, intuitive, and responsive interactions not just from people, but from brands as well. The idea of "zero wait time" is no longer a goal—it's the default expectation.
Growing Pressure on Businesses
Despite the incredible technological uptake among consumers, many businesses in the region are lagging behind. According to IDC research, nearly half (43%) of companies in Asia-Pacific say that enhancing customer experience is still their top operational hurdle.
Challenges such as fragmented data, isolated communication channels, and outdated customer service infrastructure are holding businesses back. Many are still dependent on legacy systems or rely on basic, often ineffective, chatbots that fail to meet modern customer expectations.
As customer demands increase in complexity and immediacy, businesses are struggling to keep up. The pace at which consumers expect service, real-time, personalized, and cross-platform, is exposing the limitations of traditional support models.
AI as the Catalyst of Change
Artificial intelligence is emerging not just as a support tool, but as a foundational technology for modern customer experience. From generative AI to advanced conversational agents, these tools are reshaping how businesses engage with customers.
IDC forecasts that by 2028, AI will be responsible for powering over $32 billion worth of customer transactions across the Asia-Pacific region.
Further underlining this momentum, AI platform investments are projected to exceed $30 billion by 2027, with annual growth of 35% continuing through 2029. In this environment, AI is rapidly moving from an optional enhancement to an operational necessity.
Personalized, intelligent, and always-available service is transitioning from premium service to baseline customer expectation.
The One Leading the AI Shift
One company leading the charge in this AI transformation is Infobip, a global cloud communications platform founded in Croatia.
Since its inception in 2006, Infobip has built a network connecting over seven billion devices across six continents through nearly 10,000 connections, 800 of them directly tied to mobile operators.
Infobip’s platform brings together messaging, AI, and automation in one unified solution designed to deliver not just responses, but true conversational intelligence. I
ts Conversational Experience Orchestration Platform can detect user behavior, interpret emotional tone, and respond dynamically, all in real time.
This kind of platform is built for the realities of the modern Asia-Pacific consumer: a teenager in Manila bouncing between apps before school, a commuter in Jakarta conducting financial transactions in one language while booking travel in another.
It could also be a professional in Seoul managing international refunds with minimal friction. These aren’t future scenarios, they reflect daily life.
AI as the New Baseline
Infobip’s recently released eBook, The AI Advantage: How Leading Brands Thrive in a 24x7 Customer World, captures the essence of this shift.
In the Asia-Pacific context, AI isn’t a futuristic upgrade, it’s the new foundation of customer engagement. Businesses that continue to operate without it risk falling irreparably behind.
Consumers across Asia no longer tolerate delays or inefficiencies, and they’re not likely to lower their expectations.
Brands operating in the region must realize that traditional methods are insufficient for the modern, digitally fluent consumer. AI is now essential to delivering service that is fast, seamless, and human-like at scale.
There’s No Time to Waste
Asia-Pacific’s rapid technological evolution has left little room for complacency. As consumers grow more sophisticated in their digital behavior, businesses must embrace AI-driven solutions to remain competitive.
The message is clear: in a region where instant gratification is the norm, slow-moving companies will be left behind. The future of customer experience in Asia-Pacific is intelligent, automated, and already underway.
