Bridge Alliance Taps Loo Boon Chee as CEO to Deepen IoT and AI Push

SINGAPORE – February 02, 2026 – Bridge Alliance, a global consortium of 36 leading mobile operators, has announced a significant leadership transition poised to shape its next chapter of growth. Dr. Ong Geok Chwee will retire as Chief Executive Officer at the end of March after an eight-year tenure that fundamentally reshaped the organization. Stepping into the role is Mr. Loo Boon Chee, an internal leader and industry veteran, whose appointment signals a commitment to continuity and an accelerated push into next-generation digital services.

The move comes as the telecommunications industry stands at a critical juncture, grappling with the immense opportunities presented by digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI), and the monetization of 5G networks. Loo’s promotion from his current role as Senior Vice President of Roaming and Products is seen as a strategic choice to build directly upon the foundation laid by his predecessor, ensuring a seamless transition as the alliance deepens its focus on high-growth technology sectors.

A Transformative Legacy

Dr. Ong’s leadership since March 2018 has been marked by a pivotal strategic shift. She is widely credited with steering Bridge Alliance's evolution from a traditional, roaming-focused consortium into a dynamic “regional product house.” This transformation was crucial for empowering its member operators—who collectively serve nearly two billion customers—with new, competitive capabilities in a rapidly changing market.

Under her guidance, the alliance successfully launched and scaled new business pillars, including cross-border Internet-of-Things (IoT) connectivity, Communications Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS), and a robust framework for Telco Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). These initiatives provided member operators with the tools to offer integrated, multi-market solutions to enterprise clients, a feat difficult for any single operator to achieve. Her tenure also saw the strategic expansion of the alliance's global footprint, welcoming key partners such as Deutsche Telekom from Europe and du from the United Arab Emirates, strengthening its presence in vital economic regions.

Mr. Bill Chang, Chairman of the Bridge Alliance Board, lauded Dr. Ong's impact. “We would like to thank Geok Chwee for her immense contributions to Bridge Alliance over the past eight years,” he stated. “During this pivotal phase in telco digital transformation, she expanded the alliance's strategic footprint and bolstered its capabilities and reputation on the global stage. We wish Geok Chwee the very best in her next endeavours.” Dr. Ong is retiring from the corporate sector to pursue personal interests.

The Insider Ascent: Loo Boon Chee Takes the Helm

The appointment of Mr. Loo Boon Chee, effective April 1, 2026, underscores the board’s confidence in its internal talent and existing strategy. Having joined the company in April 2020, Loo has been a central figure in executing the very transformation Dr. Ong championed. He played an instrumental role in establishing the alliance’s regional CPaaS platform and, critically, the Bridge Alliance API Exchange (BAEx)—a platform designed to simplify and accelerate the adoption of network APIs across member markets.

With over three decades of extensive regional experience in the telecommunications industry, Loo brings a wealth of technical and strategic expertise to the CEO position. His career includes leadership roles at major operators such as Singtel, Starhub, and Telkomsel, where he focused on product development, IoT, and advanced digital services. His academic credentials include a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Nanyang Technological University and a Master of Science in Management from Stanford University, blending deep technical knowledge with strategic business acumen.

This background makes him uniquely suited to navigate the next wave of industry disruption. “Over the past five years, Boon Chee has proved his mettle in the responsibilities that he has been entrusted with and his commitment to the values of the company,” commented Mr. Chang. “The Board is confident in Boon Chee's abilities to take Bridge Alliance to greater heights as the industry accelerates towards the era of Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence.”

Accepting the new role, Mr. Loo expressed his dedication to the alliance's collaborative model. “I am extremely honoured to be given this responsibility to lead Bridge Alliance in its exciting next chapter, and build on its strong foundation of innovation, regional collaboration and igniting growth as ONE,” he said. “I will continue to work closely with our member operators and partners to champion our business pillars and values as a global leading mobile alliance.”

Doubling Down on a Digital Future

Loo’s leadership is expected to intensify the alliance's focus on its core digital pillars. The BAEx platform, in particular, is a strategic asset, positioning the alliance to capitalize on the global push towards network monetization through APIs. By aligning with industry standards like the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, Bridge Alliance offers developers and enterprises a single point of entry to access network capabilities—such as quality-on-demand and device location—across the diverse markets of its members.

This strategy is already bearing fruit. The alliance has fostered a vibrant ecosystem of partnerships to expand its service offerings, from enhancing eSIM roaming experiences with Telna to accelerating cloud gaming with Blacknut and enabling advanced cloud capabilities through Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Furthermore, members like Singtel, AIS, and Maxis are already collaborating through the alliance to offer cutting-edge solutions like GPU-as-a-Service, catering to the high-performance computing demands of AI applications.

The emphasis on AI and digitalization is not merely theoretical. Member operator SoftBank Corp. has already developed a generative AI foundation model specifically for the telecom industry, designed to optimize network operations and enhance services. This spirit of innovation is what the alliance aims to harness and scale across its footprint.

The Power of the Collective in a Fragmented World

The leadership transition reaffirms the enduring value of the alliance model in the global telecommunications landscape. In an era where seamless, cross-border services are paramount, a consortium like Bridge Alliance provides a crucial framework for collaboration that individual operators cannot easily replicate. By pooling resources, sharing best practices, and co-creating solutions, members can effectively compete with global tech giants and deliver sophisticated multi-market enterprise and IoT solutions.

The alliance’s relationship with other groups, such as its extended partnership with the European-based FreeMove alliance, highlights a pragmatic approach that favors collaboration over pure competition to deliver integrated enterprise mobility across more than 100 markets worldwide. This collective strength allows members to tackle complex challenges, from interconnecting heterogeneous Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) platforms to standardizing API access for a global developer community.

As Mr. Loo Boon Chee prepares to take the helm, his mandate is clear: to leverage this powerful collaborative engine to accelerate the execution of its digital strategy. The focus will be on scaling the platforms already in place, driving deeper integration among members, and unlocking new revenue streams from the convergence of 5G, IoT, and AI. With a seasoned insider in charge, Bridge Alliance is signaling to the market that its future lies in building upon its transformative work and solidifying its role as a vital enabler of the digital economy.