Licensing, investment will push ICT boom, says ministry

The country has lacked new massive investment on the new advanced telecom infrastructure over past years but the situation is expected to improve, due partially to the 2.1GHz spectrum licensing, said ICT Ministry’s inspector-general Methini Thepmani. 

She made the remark on the sideline of the introduction of  the International Telecom Union (ITU)’s flagship annual report “Measuring the Information Society 2013” yesterday at the office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).

Last December, the NBTC awarded the 2.1GHz licences to each of three bid winners – Advanced Wireless Network, DTAC Trinet, and Real Future – which are rolling out 2.1GHz networks nationwide.

According to the ITU report, Thailand's ICT development index (IDI) ranking was at 95th place in 2012, having slipped from 94th in 2011. 

Eun-Ju Kim, regional director of the ITU regional office for Asia and Pacific, said Thailand had done well in terms of 3G licensing. She explained that the figure in the report is the statistic for last year, which did not reflect what Thailand has done about 3G. 

She recommended that to further improve the overall ranking, she wants to encourage Thailand’s private and public sector to join forces to further promote the infrastructure access, use of ICT applications and services, and ICT skills of all citizens, especially young people, at the same time. 

South Korea leads the world in terms of overall ICT development for the third consecutive year, followed closely by Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Finland and Norway. The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg and Hong Kong (China) also ranked in the top 10, with the UK nudging into the top 10 group from 11th position last year.

ITU’s ICT Development Index (IDI) ranks 157 countries according to their level of ICT access, use and skills, and compares 2011 and 2012 scores. The IDI combines 11 indicators into a single measure that can be used as a benchmarking tool globally, regionally, and at national level. It measures ICT access, use and skills, and includes such indicators as mobile cellular subscriptions, households with a computer, Internet users, fixed and mobile broadband Internet subscriptions, and basic literacy rates.

According to the same ITU report, mobile broadband over smartphones and tablets has become the fastest growing segment of the global ICT market. The figures show buoyant global demand for information and communication technology (ICT) products and services, steadily declining prices for both cellular and broadband services, and unprecedented growth in 3G uptake.

By the end of 2013 there will be 6.8 billion total mobile-cellular subscriptions – almost as many as there are people on the planet. An estimated 2.7 billion people will also be connected to the Internet – though speeds and prices vary widely, both across and within regions.

Mobile broadband connections over 3G and 3G+ networks are growing at an average annual rate of 40 per cent, equating to 2.1 billion mobile-broadband subscriptions and a global penetration rate of almost 30 per cent. Almost 50 per cent of all people worldwide are now covered by a 3G network.

All countries in the IDI top 30 are high-income countries, underlining the strong link between income and ICT progress. There are large differences between developed and developing countries, with IDI values on average twice as high in the developed world compared with developing countries.