Many factors must work together

ICT infrastructure a priority

Morrakot Kulatumyotin, managing director of Internet Thailand and vice chairman of the Thailand Internet Service Provider Association (Tispa), said the urgent prerequisite for driving the country towards a digital economy was making the Internet and communications infrastructure ready in terms of network availability, reliability and security.

Vatsun Thirapatarapong, managing director for Cisco in Thailand and Indochina, said ICT (information and communications technology) infrastructure was the key success factor for driving the digital economy. The government has to utilise the existing infrastructure and consider how much more it needs to invest and under what model. Government should take action on this and invite more players to join in. 

“ICT, particularly broadband infrastructure, is crucial for the growth of the country’s digital economy. As more sectors adopt ICT, they will increase productivity, become more efficient in use of resources, and reduce redundant costs. It will also create more jobs as well as value-added products,” Vatsun said.

He added that connectivity was the main requirement. The concept is to connect all stakeholders together via digital technology to allow them to interact and collaborate.

Sontiya Nujeenseng, country manager for Intel (Microelectronics) Thailand, said ICT infrastructure was important, but figuring out how best to utilise it and benefit from it was also a must.

To link up the whole country, not only are fibre optics and a land-line broadband network a must, satellites should be considered as part of the infrastructure. The ICT Ministry has assigned its Space Affairs Committee to conduct a feasibility study on launching a satellite to provide ICT services to the public.

ICT Minister Pornchai Rujiprapa said this satellite could play a key role in the nationwide infrastructure. The existing telecommunications infrastructure of CAT Telecom and TOT covers about 70 per cent of the country. 

“Initially the satellite would serve seven ministries – Transport, Public Health, Defence, Interior, Agriculture, Education, and ICT,” he said.

Somchai Lertsuttiwong, chief executive officer of Advanced Info Service, said he strongly agreed with the government’s policy of promoting a digital-based economy that would help increase the country’s competitiveness. 

 

Digital literacy a must

Digital literacy is fundamental to the success of a digital economy, Sontiya said. This means making sure people understand the concept and are able to apply digital technology effectively.

Digital literacy is also a necessary skill for the 21st century, he said. Just being able to read and write is not enough to survive in modern era. Currently, Thailand is not ready in this regard. It needs to invest both in basic learning for students and adult learning for workers.

“ICT will play a crucial role in transforming people’s lives by enabling access to opportunities and enhancing skills and creativity. With the use of the right technology, there can be countless opportunities for doing business, opportunities in learning, and also opportunities for the government to provide efficient services.” 

He added that sustainability of policy was also a crucial factor in making the digital economy work long-term.

 

Government urged to digitise 

Adirak Patitus, president of the Association of Thai ICT Industry (ATCI), said the priority was for the public sector to digitise itself along government-to-government, government-to-business and government-to-citizen lines. 

Meanwhile, Danupol Siamwalla, managing director and chief executive officer of Ice Solution and vice president of the Association of Thailand Open Source Federation (TOSF), said the ICT industry should play a role as an enabler in six areas – policy, rules and regulations, integration, technology, standardisation, and security.

Sontiya said such factors as privacy and security also needed to be considered.

 

Associations to form ‘ICT Council’ 

Associations overseeing telecommunications and information and communications technology are striving to establish an ICT Council to work in parallel with the government in ushering Thailand into the digital-economy era.

The idea of the ICT Council is similar to the Federation of Thai Industries. It will not be confined only to ICT businesses but will also include stakeholders in the ICT and telecom industries as a whole.

Task forces would oversee areas such as infrastructure, security and e-commerce. They would work with the government at the policy level.

It is expected that many associations would team up to establish the ICT Council. These would include the Thai Federation of ICT Technology Associations (TFIT), Tispa, TOSF, ATCI, the Thai Software Export Promotion Association, the Thai E-Commerce Association and the Thailand Tech Startup Association. 

The ICT and telecom associations have also discussed setting up an ICT Council, as well as a digital-economy road map to propose to the ICT minister.

Pawoot Pongvitayapanu, president of the Thai E-Commerce Association, said that forming an ICT Council with a solid framework would help the country gear up for the digital economy.