IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) by the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) held a press conference on the launch of eight major digital-driven projects initiated under the "DIGITAL INFINITY" concept to empower digital manpower and drive development of the digital industry. They are expected to help enhance adoption of digital technologies and innovations, and readiness in digital infrastructure and ecosystem in preparation for the country's thriving digital economy and society. depa sets a goal to generate economic impact no less than 320 billion baht with digital skills of more than 6.2 million Thais who are expected to be leveled up after participating in the eight digital-inspired projects. The ministry and depa also announced preparation for "HACKaTHAILAND 2023: DIGITAL INFINITY" scheduled for late 2023.

Ultrafast network key to digital push

5G technology is turning Thailand around with the value of 5G-driven business and services expected to hit 650 billion baht by 2030, and the ultrafast internet service playing an instrumental role in the push for S-curve industries in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) area, say key figures in state and private sectors.

They shared their views yesterday at a seminar entitled "EEC Future: 5G -- the driver of Thailand's competitiveness on the global stage", organised by business newspaper Krungthep Turakij.

Digital transformation is accelerating at breakneck speed around the world. Many countries have been investing in digital transformation and designing national strategies to establish digital infrastructure and develop a digital economy. They understand that powerful digital infrastructure and a robust digital economy are key to navigating the complexities of digital transformation and enhancing their competitive edge. ASEAN remains one of the world's most vibrant and fastest-growing economic regions. The burgeoning digital economy in this region continues to grow.

Thailand, situated at the heart of ASEAN, has been leading the development of the digital economy in the region and boasts the second largest economy there. In 2016, the government of Thailand announced their Thailand 4.0 strategy, a 20-year plan for national economic and social development. The strategy aims at leveraging innovative technologies to promote high-value-added businesses, pull the country out of the middle-income trap, and enhance its overall competitiveness. The government is pushing forward digital transformation to promote industry transformation and transform Thailand into a high-income country.

Before the devastating coronavirus pandemic, during the 2019 ASEAN Summit, Thailand introduced the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) initiative to transform three Thai provinces into smart cities – which has turned out to be a success.

With the aim to create a centre for trade, investment, regional transportation, and a strategic gateway to Asia - Thailand is confident that it would promote a seamless ASEAN.

Through the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (NECTEC), a division of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thailand has developed a digital platform tag as Navanurak aims to support the collection and conservation of cultural heritage in the nation.

Navanurak is a platform for the administration and transmission of knowledge about culture and biodiversity, according to Dr Thepchai Supnithi, Director of NECTEC Artificial Intelligence Research Group. He added that the platform enables users to preserve natural or cultural assets by adding descriptive text to the database along with multimedia files like images, videos, and audio recordings for each object.

Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co., Ltd. recently announced its partnership with five government and private industry stakeholders in Thailand with the signing of five individual Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) aimed at driving digital transformation in Thailand with a fully developed partner ecosystem. The agreements cover several Thai sectors, including telecommunications, broadcast media, technology, IT services outsourcing, and financial services. The MOUs were signed during the “POWERING DIGITAL THAILAND 2022 HUAWEI CLOUD & CONNECT and ASIA PACIFIC INNOVATION DAY” event.

Thailand’s military junta, also known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) came into power after a coup in 2014. Since then, it – under the leadership of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha – has received both criticism and praise from people inside and outside the country. Say what you like but the NCPO has shown initiative in leading Thailand in the right direction when it unveiled its master plan for the country’s future two years after it took control.

In 2016, the military government unveiled its newest economic initiative dubbed “Thailand 4.0”. The initiative was a master plan to get the country Industry 4.0-ready with the ultimate aim of freeing the people of Thailand from the middle-income trap by making the country a high-income nation in five years following the inception of Thailand 4.0.

The government will invest 1.35 trillion baht to transform the eastern seaboard’s Eastern Economic Corridor (ECC) into a regional financial hub and a world-class smart city by 2037, deputy government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek said on Thursday (Dec 29).

In the first 10 years, the focus will be developing the business and financial area, regional business offices, government offices, medical facilities, and educational centres, she said.

Mavenir this week announced that it’s working with National Telecom (NT), a state-owned telecommunications company, 5GCT, a local partner and Cisco Thailand to launch the first 5G Open RAN Smart City in Ban Chang, Thailand.

The launch of the 5G Smart City creates synergies between public and private sectors for a fully functional smart city. The city of Ban Chang, is connected to a motorway linking Thailand’s two largest cities: Pattaya and Bangkok. The location is within close proximity to U-Tapao International Airport, Map Ta Phut Industrial Zone and the new master planned Ban Chang Smart City that are strategically important infrastructure for the Digital Economy in Thailand and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).

At a roundtable held today in Bangkok, Nokia underlined its commitment to supporting enterprises in Thailand in their digital transformation journey and advancing the national Thailand 4.0 agenda.

Thailand has been making significant progress on the road to Industry 4.0 since the launch of its government's 20-year strategy to accelerate the country's economic growth focusing on robotics, factory automation, aviation, logistics and agriculture. Today, the nation is leading the way for smart cities in the region with its first 5G adoption in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) area and continued efforts to expedite the harnessing of digital transformation solutions.

The Cabinet on Tuesday (Dec 20) approved the operational plan for a 1.35-trillion-baht business hub and smart city project in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek (pic) said.

Under the plan, the city will be constructed by 2027 and developed as one of the world’s top 10 smart cities by 2037, said Ratchada.

Thailand slipped one place to 40th in the World Digital Competitiveness Index 2019, partly because of a lack of public access to digital public services and subpar participation in public decision-making.

The rankings, which cover 63 countries, were released on Thursday. The index was commissioned by the IMD World Competitiveness Center, a think tank under the IMD business school in Switzerland and Singapore.

The Digital Economy and Society Ministry on Monday (Nov 20) incentivised smart city development by offering a 50% cut in corporate tax for three years.

DES Minister Prasert Chanthararuangthong announced the move during a seminar titled “Thailand Smart City 2024” at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok.

Prasert said the Pheu Thai-led government was focused on developing provincial hubs into smart cities in seven fields – transport, energy, economy, citizen, living, public services, and the environment.

• With the pandemic interfering with 5G rollout plans in ASEAN, Thailand took the surprising lead with commercial 5G networks introduced before their neighbors
• COVID-19 helped accelerate commercial 5G rollouts, kicking off with hospitals in major cities around Thailand
• The top network operators are now introducing 5G in other commercial districts including shopping malls and the financial district

2020 was looking like the year 5G exploded across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, and Southeast Asia in particular.

Thailand saw a slight improvement in its competitiveness ranking, moving up from 28 last year to 27 this year, according to the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking 2017 released late Tuesday.

The top five economies of the 63 rated this year are: Hong Kong, Switzerland, Singapore, the United States and Netherlands.

Major cities all around the world are striving to reinvent themselves into more innovative spaces thanks to information and communication technologies (ICT). Their use not only enhances service delivery but also lays the path for the transformation into real smart cities that are livable urban environments, and effective in their organization and management.

In Southeast Asia, it is no surprise that Singapore is currently leading smart city initiatives. The island nation continues to invest and adopt new technologies to ensure it is able to cater to the demands of a modern smart city. This includes increasing the adoption of 5G and having a complete ecosystem for services for its people.

Tech Export Academy to boost innovation

The United Kingdom has launched a new tech academy that will give 30 firms involved in smart city solutions the opportunity to undertake a trade mission to Thailand next year.

The nine-month Tech Export Academy programme will provide the 30 British companies a package of support to help them expand their business in Asia-Pacific.

In a bid to increase the country's competitiveness and be prepared for the Asean Economic Community in 2015, the Information and Communications Technology Ministry has rolled out the 'Smart Thailand' strategy.

Smart Thailand is part of the national ICT framework called 'ICT2020', a development blueprint for the country that will lead and guide all parts of the economy, especially the government sector, to move forward with ICT development.

In 2012, National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) of Thailand allocated THB 950 million (US $30 million) for the ICT Ministry’s free Wi-Fi project which started in 2011. The Wi-Fi hotspots will serve about 7.7-10 million people.

It has wants to boost our ranking for e-government capacity, as scored on an index done by Japan's Waseda University to 15th place - from the present 20th place before the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) comes into being.