Thailand lays down plan to extend ICT infrastructure

According to the Thai Federation of ICT Technology Association (TFIT), the government must make an ambitious investment of at least $6.1 billion in ICT infrastructure and human resources within two years if it wants to make significant headway in digital economy. The investment on behalf of the state would set the groundwork for greater collaboration from the private sector, noted TFIT chair, Vichai Bencharongkul.

He said the spending should focus on four critical areas: ICT infrastructure, e-commerce, ICT human resource development and the government's technology-driven services.

Nearly $152 million would be required from the government to promote start-up tech firms to serve the digital economy. In infrastructure, for instance, the government would need to build a national broadband network and enact measures to enforce minimum internet speeds of 30Mb/s in 2015 and 100Mb/s by 2020.

Speeding up the country's telecom network coverage to reach 90 per cent of households by 2016 and 95 per cent by 2020 is also a must. Telecom network-sharing could reduce network investment redundancies and lower imports of network equipment by 15 per cent by 2016.

In addition, investment in at least five more international internet gateways, including submarine cable infrastructure, is needed over the next five years. The state could serve the new economy by promoting an increase in online merchants to 80,000 by 2016, up from 50,000 now.

Vichai said the development of a digital-based economy would require a strong partnership between the public and private sectors, as well as a long-term commitment from the government.

The value of Thailand's ICT-related businesses is estimated at $6 billion. The TFIT recently submitted a white paper on the digital economy to deputy prime minister Pridiyathorn Devakula.

Vichai said the government should endorse the establishment of a National ICT Council by next year to promote collaboration and efficiency between the public and private sectors. "The National ICT Council would represent the voice of the industry," he said. Vichai stressed that the key to the digital economy's success would be trust between the state and businesses.