IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Government agency Depa unveils project to elevate digital skills for 2,700 ndividuals, targeting a 170 million baht economic boost for communities and farmers

Thailand's Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) has launched a significant initiative, the 'One Tambon One Digital Smart Living' (OTOD Smart Living) project, aimed at ushering in a new era of digital transformation for the nation's rural communities and agricultural sector.

The Thai government aims to address urban challenges through technology integration and public-private partnerships. Thailand is on the fast track to revolutionizing its urban landscapes with smart city initiatives aimed at integrating cutting-edge technology to improve living conditions and tackle persistent urban issues. These developments have gained momentum since 2018, carving pathways toward modern, sustainable urban environments, particularly within key cities like Bangkok and Phuket.

Thailand is working to develop smart cities to stimulate the economy and improve people’s quality of life, Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn said at the virtual "Thailand Move On: Reshaping Smart City Landscape" forum.

The forum, organised by Nation TV, kicked off on December 15.

The development of smart cities is part of the government’s 20-year Thailand 4.0 strategy.

Thailand's high-tech Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), established in May 2018, is the cornerstone for the country’s Industry 4.0 vision to become a fully developed nation by 2035.

The 13,000sqkm EEC stretches south and east of Bangkok and covers three provinces with a total population of three million. It aims to be the gateway to Southeast Asia (SEA) and a global digital innovation hub.

Envision a metropolis that not only embodies the concept of smartness but also intelligent and innovative sophistication. This city incorporates a flawless fusion of advanced technology, sustainable practices, and an enhanced quality of life. This futuristic paradigm is now the established vision for Thailand’s urban evolution. The nation’s Board of Investment is firmly committed to transforming Thailand into a dynamic nucleus of smart cities, these spaces intend to augment everyday life with progressive technology and eco-friendly solutions.

The smart city Initiative transcends mere vision it is an action-oriented strategic plan in meticulous execution. Stimulated by attractive incentives, an audacious objective has been set to establish 105 smart cities across pivotal urban centres by 2027, positioning Thailand at the vanguard of this urban revolution in Asia.

After nearly 100 years of operating a brick-and-mortar library, the Thai National Assembly started experimenting with digital resources in the early 2000s. Its original goals were to reduce the storage space needed for print resources, and to ensure long-term digital preservation of documents.

Supot Tiarawut, CEO of Thailand’s Digital Government Agency, discusses how AI, digital ID, and open data will play a role.

Thailand leapfrogged nearly 20 places to 57th place in this year’s UN E-Government Development Index. This jump may be due to its aggressive efforts to increase the population’s access to mobile and broadband, says Supot Tiarawut, CEO of Thailand’s Digital Government Agency.

Deputy Prime Minsiter Gen Prawit has urged Smart City projects to support New Normal lifestyles after the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting equality, inclusivity, health, safety, and sustainability.

Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan has chaired the first National Smart City Steering Committee this year at Government House, where he acknowledged the appointment of committee members, and development progress in 2018-2019.

According to the UN World Urbanization Prospects, over half of the world’s population (around 55 percent) live in urban areas, and this is expected to increase to 68 percent by 2030, which is adding another 2.5 billion to urban areas. This rapid urbanization has led to many problems including pollution, high energy consumption, carbon emissions, and traffic congestion. This is where smart cities come in, they are the way forward to improve the lives of citizens by bridging the gap between sustainability targets and urban development strategies.

As cities become more populated, it is high time for citizens, governments and all stakeholders to reimagine how to make their cities smarter, more liveable and sustainable. Of course, with the help of technology.

The future of data centers in Thailand depends on deregulation and government acting only as catalyst and not directly investing in the sector, a conference heard.

TCC Technology and C-ASEAN hosted a seminar on the future of the data center in Bangkok, with many tech sector speakers calling for a hands-off light touch approach when it came to regulation followed by an afternoon session of financial market regulators that showed a high level of risk aversion and a clear mistrust of public cloud.

Following its success in Vietnam, Chunghwa Telecom is teaming up with state-owned CAT Telecom of Thailand to develop smart city-related applications

Chunghwa Telecom Co (CHT, 中華電信), the nation’s biggest telecom operator, yesterday said that it has inked a memorandum of understanding with CAT Telecom PCL to develop smart city services in Thailand as part of renewed efforts to explore new revenue sources in emerging Southeast Asian markets.

According to UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, her organization is willing to support Thailand in terms of technological development as information and communication technology (ICT) is very important nowadays. Not only is the knowledge on ICT vital to teachers and students but also to everyone. She expressed that tablet PCs should not be used just for education, but also for occupational purposes.

The future competitiveness of sub-Saharan Africa’s agriculture and its contribution to national economies will depend on how countries position themselves to utilise and exploit digital technologies.

African countries, however, are far from reaching the expected levels of development and are at various phases of the changeover to digital agriculture.

The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) in cooperation with PTT Plc, developer of the pilot smart city “Wangchan Valley”, recently invited the new generation of city developers to visit the project located in Wangchan district of Rayong province to gain hands-on experience of smart city development.

The project lies in the heart of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).