Thailand leads in race for ASEAN Digital Hub with upgraded ICT infrastructure

Thailand, which leads ASEAN in 5G rollout, is eyeing the pole position in the race for ASEAN digital hub with its initiative to boost the ICT infrastructure and ecosystem, government officials revealed at the Powering Digital Thailand 2021: Huawei Cloud & Connect event in Bangkok.

“Thailand is one of the first countries in ASEAN that developed 5G technology for commercial use. Many areas in the Eastern Special Development Zone or Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) have already adopted this technology. Digital technologies like 5G, Cloud and AI technologies are crucial infrastructure that can turn Thailand into the digital hub of the region,” said Thailand Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon during his speech at the event.

The deputy prime minister added that Thailand is speeding up its 4.0 initiative and developing its technological infrastructure to further drive the country’s economic rebound with the development of infrastructure, innovation, data, human capital and other digital resources.

The “POWERING DIGITAL THAILAND 2021 HUAWEI CLOUD & CONNECT” event, co-organized by Huawei Technologies (Thailand) and Bangkok Post Public Company Limited during November 11-14, showcased how new technologies such as Cloud, AI and connectivity are being applied to unlock new potential, markets, and business models in the digital era.

The four-day event brought together more than 4,500 business leaders, industry experts, diplomats and government officials to share insights into global industry trends, and explore how ICT technologies innovation can unleash the potential for industries and society.

 “As a technology organization that has been in Thailand for over 21 years, Huawei sees Thailand’s potential and advantages over other countries in the region. Thailand is already a forerunner in Cloud, AI, and 5G adoption which will be the major driving force to implement cloud and intelligent transformation in various industries. The readiness of infrastructure is considered to be foundations for a digital economy. Therefore, we aim to bolster Thailand to become the Digital Hub of ASEAN to achieve the Thailand 4.0 strategy,” said Abel Deng, CEO of Huawei Thailand.

Industry research estimates that a 20% increase of domestic investment in ICT sector will drive the country’s GDP increase by at least 1%. By 2030, Thailand’s digital economy is expected to contribute 30% of the country’s GDP, up from 10% at present.

According to Thailand Digital Economy and Society Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta, a new wave of telecom infrastructure is under development, including data centers, submarine cables as well as 5G networks in the ASEAN country. “Huawei Technologies Thailand is set to establish its third data center in Thailand in 2021, which is a good signal to boost Thailand’s potential as a digital hub,” he said.

Thailand, which reacted quickly and managed to control the spread of the pandemic, put ICT and digital transformation at the heart of its economic rebound, and drew up its Digital Economy and Society Development Plan in cooperation with the public and private sectors to boost its development.

 “Thailand’s economy is improving strongly since the initial impact of COVID-19. Further, Huawei’s leading technologies are helping accelerate the country’s recovery during these challenging times. In the long term, the development of a robust ICT infrastructure that includes CLOUD, AI and 5G will help enhance Thailand’s competitiveness and drive its economy, society, security, and education. This development and investment is an important factor in supporting Thailand’s ability to compete at a global level,” said Worachai Bhicharnchitr, vice-chairman and member of executive committee of the Bangkok Post.