Malaysia Sets New Standard for Sovereign Secure Communications at ASEAN Summits
High-stakes diplomatic events demand coordination across multiple agencies, thousands of personnel, and complex security protocols. Malaysia's deployment of BlackBerry® AtHoc® and BlackBerry® SecuSUITE® for the 46th and 47th ASEAN Summits demonstrates how sovereign secure communications protect sensitive operations while enabling real-time collaboration at scale.
The ASEAN Summits bring together heads of state, ministers, and officials from across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. With more than 500 meetings and thousands of personnel coordinating across government agencies, Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognizes that mobile communications need to be both secure and efficient. As advanced signal intelligence capabilities become increasingly accessible to malicious actors, protecting voice and messaging from interception is imperative.
Following a successful deployment at the 46th ASEAN Summit in May 2025, the ASEAN Main Logistics Secretariat (SILA) is expanding its use of BlackBerry® Secure Communications for the 47th Summit in Kuala Lumpur, from October 26 to 28. BlackBerry® solutions will protect command operations both within the Summit's operations center and communications with those on the move. This helps ensure that sensitive conversations remain confidential and coordination of operations remains seamless.
Securing Communications Across Agencies
His Excellency Raja Saifful Ridzuwan Raja Kamaruddin, Head of SILA, explained the operational imperative: "Around 80% of our inter-agency communications are secured—and some are highly confidential and directly tied to the safety of Heads of State and officials. With BlackBerry, we found an encrypted, open communications platform that protects sensitive information while improving coordination."
Earlier this year at the 46th ASEAN Summit, 100 liaison officers used BlackBerry AtHoc to send secure, location-based alerts and manage coordination. The 47th ASEAN Summit expanded the deployment of BlackBerry AtHoc to 150 liaison officers and added BlackBerry SecuSUITE for iOS® and standard Android™ devices. This addition allows liaison officers to securely communicate with visiting delegations and foreign teams, reducing the number of devices needed to maintain end-to-end encrypted voice and secure messaging from anywhere.
Mobile Command and Control in Action
BlackBerry AtHoc enables truly secure mobile command-and-control, helping officials monitor personnel and VIP movements, respond swiftly to weather or security incidents, and coordinate seamlessly across agencies, such as the Royal Malaysian Police.
"Five minutes can mean 50 missed messages," H.E. Raja Saifful added. "BlackBerry AtHoc streamlines how we communicate across agencies, while SecuSUITE encrypts voice instructions to prevent eavesdropping and leaks. For the 47th ASEAN Summit, we are expanding both solutions to deliver a safe, seamless, and highly coordinated event."
The technology and standards deployed are similar to those used during the 2018 and 2025 G7 Summits and Ministerial Meetings. During these events, the Government of Canada's Summits Management Office under Global Affairs Canada, relied on BlackBerry AtHoc for secure and integrated communication across multiple departments. This set a high standard for operational resilience and inter-agency collaboration.
Sovereign Communications at Scale
As ASEAN Chair in 2025, Malaysia is redefining sovereign secure communications at scale. BlackBerry® Secure Communications delivers government-grade protection for data, people, and operations, ensuring seamless end-to-end security and coordination across agencies, keeping mission-driven teams connected and effective.
Read the Press Release here.
