Plan to double Web users, ICT products, and services
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Information and Communications Technology Minister Pornchai Rujiprapa has set a target of 40 million Internet users and doubling the value of ICT products and services within five years.
The target is part of the “digital economy” plan that the ICT Ministry will propose to the government soon.
Currently, there are around 20 million Internet users in Thailand.
According to the Software Industry Promotion Industry (Sipa), the total value of ICT products and services excluding software services was Bt626 billion last year.
“We hope to see double the value in both the Internet access and ICT value within three to five years,” Pornchai said.
He said his ministry hoped that 80 per cent of Internet usage would create business value.
He said that the ministry had commanded all of its departments and state agencies to prepare plans to achieve the targeted value.
The National Statistical Office is set to be the National Data Centre in support of the digital economy the military-led regime says it is striving for. It will have an expanded work scope to cover agricultural and commerce information and statistics.
TOT and CAT will be the telecom-infrastructure providers under the scheme and will have to demonstrate how they will adhere to government policy.
Pornchai said the ICT Ministry would become the Digital Economy Ministry early next year, with the draft National Digital Economy Act proposed to the National Legislative Assembly by the end of this year.
He said the government would set up a Digital Economy Board to oversee all digital-economy matters. The board, to be chaired by the prime minister, would comprise representations from all ministries and relevant government departments and agencies, including a representative from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.
Sipa research has found that of the Bt626-billion value of ICT products and services in 2013, Bt87.4 billion was in the form of computer hardware and Bt466 billion in communications.
The total value of the software industry was Bt53.7billion last year and is forecast to reach Bt58.4 billion this year. Its value includes software services and embedded system software.
