Report details Asia's 'digital economy' status

A GSM Association report, “Building Digital Societies in Asia”, is based on a study of digital societies in six countries – Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan. It found that each country had a digital-society policy framework – Thailand’s Digital Economy Plan, Digital Bangladesh, Digital India, the Indonesia Broadband Plan, Digital Malaysia, and Pakistan’s Vision 2025.

The countries have developed a digital-economy plan to be part of their digital-society aspirations.

The concept of a digital society, according to the report, is about the interaction among governments, businesses and citizens via digital technologies, accompanied by social and economic benefits around efficiency and productivity gains, as well as the improved well-being and living standards of citizens.

The report shows that the digital societies in Asia have a diverse landscape, since Asia is arguably the most diverse region in the world in terms of economics and information and communications technology.

The region is home to some of the world’s biggest economies and most connected countries. In contrast, it also contains a number of countries with very low connectivity levels and relatively small economies.

Those with advanced digital societies have highly developed and integrated digital platforms in place. 

The report divides digital societies into three types: emerging, transitional and advanced. 

An emerging digital society is in the early stages of digitisation and emphasis is on digital and financial inclusion. Most services are built around providing basic information and essential services to citizens on Web portals and push (SMS) platforms.

In the transitional digital society, personalised services are available to citizens, allowing them to perform private transactions with public and private institutions online and in real time, such as accessing medical records, settling personal and company tax bills, and accessing social-security benefits.

An advanced digital society has a high level of integration of public infrastructure and services, including utilities and transport. Citizens can interact with a variety of institutions in real time and over multiple digital channels.

Thailand is ranked as a transitional digital society.

The report found that Thailand’s digital-economy strategy emphasised the development and application of ICT economic and social aspects. The government has proposed five themes to drive its digital-economy initiative. 

l Hard infrastructure is used so the private sector is able to promote the digital economy, such as high-capacity broadband, data centres, and digital gateways. 

l Soft infrastructure is used to boost confidence in online transactions by providing verification systems to identify individuals online and cyber-security to safeguard e-commerce activities.

l Service infrastructure creates a platform to support private businesses and individuals. 

l Promotion and innovation develops the digital skills of entrepreneurs to improve their efficiency. 

l Universal access to online channels ensures that everyone can access the Internet at an affordable price. 

Currently, there are eight draft bills under consideration to guide the implementation of Thailand’s digital-economy goals.

They are the Information and Communication Technology Ministry Reform Bill; the Digital Economy Bill; the NBTC Bill; the Electronic Transactions Bill; the Electronic Transactions Development Agency Establishment Bill; the Personal Data Protection Bill; the Computer Crime Bill; and the National Cyber Security Bill.