Phuket To Become Digital Paradise

[george]

Tourism haven to become digital paradise

SIPA plans to create a software park on the island to give the industry global reach

PHUKET: -- Phuket will not only be a paradise of tourism in the Asia-Pacific, it will also be a digital paradise.

The project called the World Paradise of ICT R&D and Innovation is inviting global technology companies to set up innovation and research and development centres on the island in the next several years.

Rungruang Limchoopatipa, president of Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA) said the agency will work with the municipality, TOT, CAT Telecom and the private sector to develop Phuket as a paradise destination for multinational companies and create a software industry in the province. This would also give local software developers better access to the latest technology.

He said the agency will develop an area of about 4,000 rai at the foothills of the mountains surrounding Phuket to set up an information and communications technology park.

The park will feature an innovation centre especially designed to help software developers work in a serene environment.

The digital paradise project plans to attract about 20 software companies within six years. The agency expects to create a software industry in Phuket that would be worth about Bt40 billion by 2010.

"The World Paradise of ICT R&D and Innovation will be a flagship programme, attracting investments from multinational companies to develop software for Thailand and the global market," Rungruang said.

He said the paradise would provide incentives to foreign software firms such as an eight-year corporate tax holiday, business leads through SIPA and help with visas and work permits.

SIPA is working with TOT, CAT Telecom and the Information and Communication Technology Mini-stry to set up an ICT skill development and learning centre for students.

Somjai Suwansuphana, mayor of Phuket City Municipality, said the ICT centre would aim to enhance multimedia and animation skills among students and help them innovate.

The centre opened last year and provides library and Internet services to residents of Phuket.

SIPA also plans to set up three more ICT centres - Thailand Digital Content Centre in Bangkok, Global Outsourcing Centre in Chiang Mai and National Incubation Centre in Khonkhen.

Thailand Digital Content Centre will help software developers and businesses create digital multimedia and animation content for the domestic and global market.

The Global Outsourcing Centre and National Incubation Centre will help increase productivity and boost the ICT industry in the country, as well as make Thai software globally competitive. SIPA is also developing a master plan to create the necessary infrastructure to support the software and ICT industries.

With these steps, the agency estimates the Thai software industry will be worth about Bt100 billion by 2010.

[Gregory Morozov]

LOL

I think they declared our little island already twice a "Cyber Paradise" in 7 years and gave up twice after investments yielded no results

[MengWan]

For me I do not see software development in a large scale in Thailand !

Software development includes debugging which is incompatible with a mai-pen-rai culture ...

[pitrevie]

Perhaps you think me a cynic but I think this topic should be in the joke section.

[stevehaigh]

i agree with all of the above. until thailand has real internet connections, no foreign co. will think of trying to develop here. shame through, phuket sure beats silicon valley.

[samsara]

joke section indeed!!!

why would software companies invest time/money in a country that explicity pirates software? lol

just another pie in the sky, bold statement to attract those who are gleefully ignorant.

[singa-traz]

i agree with all of the above. until thailand has real internet connections, no foreign co. will think of trying to develop here. shame through, phuket sure beats silicon valley.

Reuters has a development center in Bangkok with more than 1,000 staffs ... and they don't do web site development.

One of their "competitors" has 700 to 800 staffs.

For me I do not see software development in a large scale in Thailand !

Software development includes debugging which is incompatible with a mai-pen-rai culture ...

Nice comment ... unfortunately incorrect.

[Payboy]

Phuket To Become Digital Paradise

are you telling me it already isn't ?

i once bought a solar powerd pocket calculator in the night market

[Wolfie]

Its never going to happen whilst CAT holds the monopoly on the internet backbone out of Thailand.

[sensei]

Phuket To Become Digital Paradise

are you telling me it already isn't ?

i once bought a solar powerd pocket calculator in the night market

I got myself a digital watch!

[jonniebkk]

Yeahl yeah...Phuket is gonna be a cyber hub (for the 3rd time in a decade), golf resort hub, hi-so yaughting and marina hub, MICE meeting hub, yadadadadada!

moto-mob hub, pretty ladyboy sex-worker hub, trash hub, deforestation hub, mudslide hub, sewage hub, water-shortage hub more likely

[Veazer]

For me I do not see software development in a large scale in Thailand !

Software development includes debugging which is incompatible with a mai-pen-rai culture ...

I wouldn't say the two are totally incompatible, but you're correct to note this as a large problem. All too often in Thailand it seems like 'working/usable' is considered to be the same as 'complete'.

For further evidence, come look at my home's wiring.

[samsara]

pretty ladyboy sex-worker hub...now theres something to put on travel brochures.

the sarcasm in this thread is overwhelming

[Khun Jack]

Wauw I live in a double paradise! , everyone complained today about the dead slow internet and the office uses gmail because we can't send email reliable to our domain (TOT blocking ports).

That's reality.

[nikster]

It's good that these initiatives exist - I sometimes feel like IT is completely forgotten in Thailand, easier to build Casinos. Nevertheless I would not put any money on this working out... "it's very sunny over here" isn't really a very strong location advantage, compared to the many well-known disadvantages.

[Prakanong]

It's good that these initiatives exist - I sometimes feel like IT is completely forgotten in Thailand, easier to build Casinos. Nevertheless I would not put any money on this working out... "it's very sunny over here" isn't really a very strong location advantage, compared to the many well-known disadvantages.

I agree. Location and the natural environment itself can be part of the salary for the IT workers.

I'm for example ready to work for less money if the environment is correct and I do enjoy. I would think that other people would feel the same.

-Pekka

Count me out - how much less money are we talking about?

PS: I first heard of this Phuket as an IT Centre from the Thai Desk Officer at the DTI back in 2000 who was in contact with the top CP guy - bit slow moving is it not?

[Prakanong]

Really - this is just not going to happen

Singapore, Vietnam, even Malaysia or China first

Just look at where current IT developments go in the region

Reuters is the exception thsat proves the rule

[toptuan]

Digital Paradise impossible while the portal access continues to route through Hades (CAT access to Thailand).

[ade100]

Sounds like a great idea but if they really want to attract multi-nationals, they are going to have to do a whole lot more than just build a business park. They could start with:

Creating Internet Services that actually go outside their country (not all multi-nationals will be wanting to surf sanook.com every day)

Allowing multi-national people to live and work in their country

Allowing multi-national people to have somewhere to live in their country

Getting a police force to protect multi-national people from the natives.

Allowing multi-national people some way of getting to work that doesn't involve pick-up trucks, tuk-tuks or water buffalo.

But their hearts are in the right place. Bless'em.