IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Mayor Poramet Ngamphichet chaired a meeting on December 13 to discuss the management strategy for the 5G Pattaya Smart City project, aiming to enhance urban governance and improve the quality of life in the EEC area.

Pattaya City has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Telecommunications Public Company Limited (NT) to collaborate on the 5G Smart City development. This cutting-edge technology will integrate smart poles across the city, connecting various municipal systems with secure and reliable data exchange. The system will enable data collection, such as surveillance footage, weather reports, heat detection, and vehicle license plate recognition, analyzed using Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Pattaya City organized a meeting to discuss the management plan for the 5G Smart City equipment procurement project aimed at enhancing urban management and promoting a better living environment in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). The meeting addressed the temporary suspension of the project since February 3, to avoid additional costs, such as electricity bills, while further funding strategies are being explored.

The meeting also reported on the progress of the project and the future plan of action. Mayor Porament Ngampichet assigned the Strategy and Budget Office to send a proposal to the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) for support with electricity costs. Additionally, NT (National Telecom) was tasked with seeking other potential investors for advertising to help offset costs.

So-called smart cities have become aspirational for governments around the world and the government has been among them with its 12th National Economic and Social Development Plan (2017-2021).

Over the past five years, the government has financed "smart city" projects in cities such as Phuket, Bangkok and Chiang Mai where the use of smart technology and the internet of things (IoT) has been applied to improve public services and urban management.

Digital Economy and Society Minister Buddhipongse Punakanta has set out three policy fronts to pursue the Thailand 4.0 scheme.

Buddhipongse said these fronts covered digital economy, digital society and digital security. The Digital Economy and Society Ministry will also set up a Fake News Center to combat fake news in the country.

Localities would get treatment by 2022

The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) has set an ambitious goal to turn 100 cities nationwide into smart cities in two years to improve the economy and quality of life in line with the 20-year national strategy plan.

Cities in six provinces plus Bangkok have begun the process of transforming into smart cities. The provinces are Phuket, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Chon Buri, Rayong and Chachoengsao.

Deputy Prime Minister Air Chief Marshal Prajin Janthong arrived in Phuket yesterday (June 9) to promote a roadshow highlighting the government’s move towards providing cloud-based e-services

At the public launched for the “Gov Channel Roadshow 2017: Digital Local Government”, held at the Novotel Phuket Phokeethra hotel in Phuket Town, ACM Prajin said, “Phuket as a Smart City is to be a role model for other provinces, with technological infrastructure developed to make people’s digital lives easier.”

Kevin Cheng, president enterprise business group, Huawei Technologies (Thailand), details how technology is aiding Bangkok to become a city of intelligence, while at the same time keeping social development front and centre to prioritise what matters to citizens.

Asia is one of fastest growing regions in the world, demonstrating a high appetite for digital development to create new growth opportunities for both its business landscape and its citizens. The ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’, or 4IR, is well underway and Huawei technology provides the backbone for much of this digital transformation, supporting urban, social and economic development in a sustainable way.

Policymakers, economists and business leaders have talked for years about the importance of shifting the economy up the value chain if Thailand is to remain competitive in the 21st century.

But the transition from low-end manufacturing to products and services emphasising creativity, innovation and high technology is a tough job and will depend not only on infrastructure investment but changing the mindsets of both the public and the private sectors.

The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry has worked with four Central plains provinces to promote digital adoption to improve their living conditions, particularly during the pandemic.

The four provinces are Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi and Suphan Buri.

Governors of these provinces and relevant agencies pledged their full support and cooperation for the project.

Dr. Tawarat Sutabutr, Director of the Office of Knowledge Management and Development (OKMD), participated in THE NOVA EXPO 2025 under the theme "Green Innovation Revolution and Green Data Center", organized by EEC Engineering Network. He also delivered a keynote speech on "Smart & Learning Cities: Building Sustainable Urban Development."

Dr. Tawarat emphasized that smart cities integrate technology and data to enhance urban infrastructure and improve people's quality of life. He stressed that modern urban development must align with the concept of "Sustainable Smart Cities," which prioritizes sustainability in areas such as renewable energy, smart waste management, efficient transportation systems, and digital governance.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is delighted with the improvement in Thailand's rankings on the United Nations' E-Government Development Index (EGDI), which went up to 57th this year from 73rd in 2018, government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat said on Sunday.

The index ranks countries based on their governments' deployment of technology to provide services for its citizens. The assessment, which is conducted every two years, is based on three components, namely the scope and quality of online services, status of telecommunication infrastructure and quality of human capacity.

In just a few short years, new small businesses will be able to apply for their permits and access other services electronically via a planned new government website that will automatically forward their information to the relevant state agencies.

The e-government portal will provide the public and local businesses with more convenient access to one-stop information and services.

Smart city development in three provinces of the flagship Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) is projected to draw as much as 100 billion baht over the next five years, helping upgrade the livelihood of residents there, according to the EEC Office.

According to Pojanee Artarotpinyo, the EEC Office's deputy secretary-general, the Board of Investment (BoI) has already approved three smart city development plans: at Wang Chan Valley in Rayong, Muang district of Chachoengsao, and Saen Suk municipality in Chon Buri.

Darunee Kongkarat, a health worker at the Mae Sariang Malaria Clinic, has a busy schedule. The clinic covers 47 villages in a populous district of Thailand. About 20 to 30 patients walk into Kongkarat’s clinic every day; in the rainy season that number can jump to 100. Kongkarat tests blood, distributes antimalarial medication, makes sure that patients take their drugs, and monitors treatment effectiveness.

Vatsun Thirapatarapong, managing director of Cisco Systems (Thailand), said World Bank studies have shown that a country's gross domestic product could expand by 1.3 per cent if Internet broadband users in that country increased by 10 per cent.

A large portion of the country's economy is small and medium-sized enterprises that are struggling to access funding, ICT (information and communications technology) literacy, and literacy in the new context of business competition. Therefore, the government should take action to help SMEs' competitiveness with ICT.

The cabinet on Tuesday approved 4.75 billion baht to finance the Government Data Center and Cloud (GDCC) service between 2020 and 2022.

Rachada Dhanadirek, the deputy government spokesman, said the GDCC is the central cloud system to be used by government agencies, ensuring safety and serving as a big data facility for state agencies when disasters occur.

The government is working to drive smart city development nationwide, where the aim is to use digital technology to improve people’s standard of living. Fifteen areas have now been certified as smart city implementation areas.

Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwon presided over a meeting of the National Smart City Steering sub-committee, which saw the attendance of Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn and representatives from the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA), Smart City Thailand Office, and other relevant agencies.

Information and Communications Technology Minister Anudith Nakornthap said at the launch today that the scheme should help reduce the government's IT spending by at least 30 per cent, while ensuring regularly updated technology as well as advancement in electronics-based public services.

He noted that each year, government units spent nearly Bt50 billion on hardware and software, but they ended up buying old but pricey technology.

The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry has been given Cabinet approval to set up an e-government agency as an operational body to drive the establishment of e-government services and pursue the Smart Thailand policy.

The director of Government Information Technology Services (GITS), Sak Segkhoonthod, said GITS would be transformed into the new agency. The change will be official in the near future.