DIGITAL ECONOMY
Prayut urges 4G spectrum auctions as soon as possible
Asina Pornwasin
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday that he supported the plan to auction spectrum licences as soon as possible next year for fourth-generation cellular service, as well the establishment of a national broadband network and a national data centre.

He made the remark during a seminar on the "digital economy" hosted by Post Today newspaper.

Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula announced at the same seminar the government's goals for the digital economy, which is aimed at boosting the country's competitiveness.

Prayut said the government would promote the utilisation of digital technology in all aspects and all sectors in order to accelerate economic growth. The elderly and disabled would also benefit from the digital economy, he claimed.

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) had planned to hold auctions for new spectrum licences this year but the junta ordered a suspension, pending its complete clarification of the plan with the junta.

Since then, private mobile-phone operators have urged the government to make these auctions happen as soon as possible to enable them to use the spectra to enhance their 4G wireless broadband service.

Information and Communications Technology Minister Pornchai Rujiprapa said legislation was needed to establish a "Digital Economy Committee", chaired by Prayut. This Digital Economy for Economy and Social Act is expected to be submitted for the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) next month.

A Digital Economy Office will function as the permanent secretariat for the Digital Economy Committee.

The Digital Economy Committee will have five subcommittees to oversee hard infrastructure, soft infrastructure, service infrastructure, digital-economy promotion, and a digital society, including knowledge resources. Pornchai said all existing fibre-optic networks would have to be integrated.

Kosol Petchsuwan, a member of the working committee, said that according to the NBTC, the fibre-optic networks of 16 licensed companies covered about 500,000 square kilometres, and their combined length was 200,000 kilometres. Currently, each of them uses only 10 per cent of capacity on average.

Pornchai said a National Information Centre would be needed to coordinate statistical information and to establish a National Data Centre.

Next year, the ICT Ministry plans to spend Bt3.7 billion on four main schemes to support the digital-economy plan. They are an ICT system for schools in border areas (Bt95 million); an enterprise resource planning cloud for small and medium-sized enterprises (Bt940 million); a national API (application programming interface) platform to encourage the innovation development (Bt144 million); and a system for hosting surveillance-camera information (Bt70 million).

Pornchai said two draft laws would be submitted to the NLA next month, one to set up the Digital Economy Committee and the other to restructure and rename relevant ministries. Another six draft laws will be submitted later.

Djitt Laowattana, another member of the working committee, said the government data centres could be established within three months. These would require about 80,000 racks of servers to run 30-40 data centres of 2,000 square metres each in different parts of the country. This would require about Bt30 billion.

"The three priority sectors that will immediately benefit from the digital economy plan are the financial and capital market sector; the manufacturing sector; and the education sector," he said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Prayut-urges-4G-spectrum-auctions-as-soon-as-possi-30249178.html


-- The Nation 2014-12-05

Wouldn't 4G be far more beneficial to the country than fibre to the home? Yet 4G isn't part of the goal sheet. In fact the top 3 objectives are regarding fixed lines only. It's curious since hardly anyone in this country has a computer and everyone seems to prefer roaming on smart phones and tablets.

These people could not do fibre to the home in a hundred years..........

IF they can 4G up and running around the country, that would be a national miracle, seeing how they struggle with 3G now!

Point 1 and 3 seem contradictory. If there is fibre-optic to all villages in a year why will it take 3 years for all homes?

And shouldn't someone tell them f-o is.....kind of yesterdays technology???

At this point I would settle for paying for 3G and actually getting it.

Point 1 and 3 seem contradictory. If there is fibre-optic to all villages in a year why will it take 3 years for all homes?

And shouldn't someone tell them f-o is.....kind of yesterdays technology???

1) Getting fibre optic to a village is laying one cable. Getting it to all homes in the village is laying a lot more than one cable.

2) Not all homes are in villages.

Fibre optic is not yesterday's technology. It is still much better than wireless. Every improvement in wireless is matched by improvements in fibre optic.

They can't get telephone to all homes yet. What chance do they have of getting fibre optic to all homes.

None of their "goals" will see the light of day.

Gosh I hope when I reach the avg age of TV members I don't get all snippy and cynical of everything that goes on in Thailand.

Go home if you're not happy here..

They want to skip 3G.... there is no nationwide 3G network yet as on many places the 3G sign appears on your phone, but its still slower than the old Eu Edge.

Its about time to learn to walk before they run.

We've been promised upgraded phone lines in the village for 7 years now. Am not expecting anything soon.

Gosh I hope when I reach the avg age of TV members I don't get all snippy and cynical of everything that goes on in Thailand.

Go home if you're not happy here..

What is the average age of TV members?

Gosh I hope when I reach the avg age of TV members I don't get all snippy and cynical of everything that goes on in Thailand.

Go home if you're not happy here..

The cynicism would disappear overnight but for the constant promises followed by failure to implement in anything near the promised timescale.

Gosh I hope when I reach the avg age of TV members I don't get all snippy and cynical of everything that goes on in Thailand.

Go home if you're not happy here..

What is the average age of TV members?

Whatever is frumpy grumpy age these days... 50++?

Gosh I hope when I reach the avg age of TV members I don't get all snippy and cynical of everything that goes on in Thailand.

Go home if you're not happy here..

The cynicism would disappear overnight but for the constant promises followed by failure to implement in anything near the promised timescale.

Then go to Singapore.. Vietnam etc.

It is what it is here.

It took a decade for the Skytrain to cross the river, and the entire Digital Goals are going to be reached in 3 years? Heck, they'll still be negotiating the bribes and kickbacks in that timeframe.

Most Thais don't have a toilet bowl in their living space. Most Thais over 50 are missing some, many or in many cases all their teeth. Yet he's urging about 4G.

Most Thais don't have a toilet bowl in their living space. Most Thais over 50 are missing some, many or in many cases all their teeth. Yet he's urging about 4G.

They should stop all development until all old people can get false teeth.

These people could not do fibre to the home in a hundred years..........

IF they can 4G up and running around the country, that would be a national miracle, seeing how they struggle with 3G now!

they must be quick learners as they did it to my home in3 days from order.

Real 3G isn't fully available... and 5G is coming... coming outside Thailand of course!

Gosh I hope when I reach the avg age of TV members I don't get all snippy and cynical of everything that goes on in Thailand.

Go home if you're not happy here..

The cynicism would disappear overnight but for the constant promises followed by failure to implement in anything near the promised timescale.

Then go to Singapore.. Vietnam etc.

It is what it is here.

Just one question, if you don't mind: do you work for immigration?

Beware: intensive use of rosy lenses might damage your brains

:-)

Real 3G isn't fully available... and 5G is coming... coming outside Thailand of course!

In Thailand that reads like, 3G coming soon to a place NOT near you.

While reading the OP I got that strange feeling of hot air blowing in my face.

These people could not do fibre to the home in a hundred years..........

IF they can 4G up and running around the country, that would be a national miracle, seeing how they struggle with 3G now!

I'd be happy with 3 Country Wide.

I live in a village only 15 km from the provincial capital (Uttaradit) and there is no fixed phone line, a very poor mobile signal, slowest of the slow Wi-Fi costing an arm and leg and running water 2 hours in the morning and if lucky again in the evening. As for the phone line, I was told by TOT that it is too expensive to supply. Remonstrating that if the service is made available, subscribers will pay for in no time flat then the rest is profit fell on deaf ears. So here is a bit of advice Mr.PM, do your homework first before flapping the trap, as my Mu Ban is one of thousands with the same problem.

We just got fibre optic installed but still waiting for main water supply !

Rain water tastes good though

1) My 3G hardly works. At least 50% of the time it falls to Edge.

2) My internet (two different ISPs) goes off almost every time it sprinkles or it is windy.

I wish them luck. However, they will get there eventually. 8 - 10 more years maybe.

Gosh I hope when I reach the avg age of TV members I don't get all snippy and cynical of everything that goes on in Thailand.

Go home if you're not happy here..

I AM home! Now, Get off my Lawn you young whippersnapper!

At this point I would settle for paying for 3G and actually getting it.

I agree, my AIS mobile internet dongle is more like 1G.

Fix Thailand's overall awful network first

Gosh I hope when I reach the avg age of TV members I don't get all snippy and cynical of everything that goes on in Thailand.

Go home if you're not happy here..

How will you know when you reach the average age of TV members ? Do you even know what it is ? If so, please announce the age so I know whether or not I am a young fellow or an oldie.

And some of the older TV members have probably called Thailand "home" longer than some of the younger members have been alive.