Thailand
Thailand: ICT investment vital to prosperity in Asia-Pacific
Thailand is one of the ICT infrastructure development leaders among emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, but its telecom firms and government agencies must embrace the challenges brought about by the development of the digital economy.
Tasks facing Thailand include proactive policy-making and regulation, digital ecosystem development and practical solutions to boost return of investment.
Similar to other countries in Asia-Pacific, 60% of the population in Thailand are young people and they are the primary users of digital services and data consumption.
According to Zhou Jianjun, vice-president of Huawei Carrier Network Business Group, telecom operators and the government must carry out digital infrastructure and services development.
Citing the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), he said internet usage penetration in Asia-Pacific is 43.9%, of which 72% are young people.
The ecosystem of digital services in Asia-Pacific and Thailand is mainly driven by young consumers who are interested in innovation, and demand better experiences and more efficiency.
Mr Zhou said people today have instant access to online shopping, entertainment, education and even healthcare services.
Meanwhile, more advanced, innovative products and services are being continuously invented to enhance user experiences.
“Thailand needs to roll out more infrastructure to improve accessibility to internet, especially a fixed broadband network as currently the household penetration rate of fixed broadband is only 30% nationwide,” Mr Zhou said.
Thai telecom operators must continue to improve the quality of the networks, and provide better products and services in line with the development of the digital economy.
Mr Zhou said a majority of people remain unconnected in 103 emerging markets worldwide, where the fixed broadband penetration is less than 15%, compared with over 25% in developed markets.
Mobile broadband penetration in those 103 emerging markets is 45%, whereas it is 60% in developed markets.
According to the Huawei Global Connectivity Index, every 20% of ICT investment in Asian developing countries will increase 1% of GDP.
Mr Zhou said that to improve return on investment in emerging markets, they need to develop four core digital ecosystems: communication assets, smart devices, operational efficiency and new services and content.
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1315343/ict-investment-vital-to-prosperity-in-asia-pacific