The reason why the government has such a huge credibility problem over its plans to establish a one-gateway internet system is its refusal to come clean. From the moment the new internet plan became public, authorities have tried to spin the plan instead of portray it honestly. This is despite the fact that cabinet directives have made it clear it is a security proposal.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's cabinet notes said one thing, while his ministers said something else. The public now believes the government is working to bring the internet under full government control, censorship and non-stop monitoring. This is unfortunate, because there are already real internet problems. The one-gateway proposal not only fails to address them, but will make them even worse.
In internet parlance, a "gateway" is a physical spot where internet material is taken in, and then fed back out to other networks. The two-part function is what makes it a gateway. A place where internet material stops, such as a user's computer or smartphone, is a node. According to the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (Nectec), Thailand currently has 10 major gateways which receive internet feeds and pass them along to customers of various types -- chiefly, commercial firms including re-sellers, schools and individuals.
One of the gateways is owned and run by CAT Telecom Pcl. In the early days of internet, the then-Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT) was a government monopoly that handled almost all long-distance telephone calls and, therefore, the commercial side of the internet. As the internet evolved, chiefly morphing into the worldwide web, so did Thai communications. CAT became a company and lost its monopoly status.
The government plans to revert to the days of the early 1990s by returning to CAT Telecom the monopoly status it once held. This is the model established in 1954, remembered very unfondly by older people as the service was unreliable, unnecessarily expensive, corrupt and always behind the technology curve.
Thailand has a number of serious internet problems that go far beyond the glacial upgrades to 3G and 4G services by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). The country is well-known for network insecurity; criminal hackers and spammers can easily compromise the system while hiding their tracks.
Internet speeds have long lagged too. Network expansion must proceed quickly to meet the coming requirements of 4G data systems, a magnitude faster than 3G. The current ICT minister Uttama Savanayana aims to make Thailand a dream zone for data operations vital to any type of digital economy. Based on its past performance, CAT Telecom cannot handle such demands.
In addition, there is the confidence factor. No internet-dependent company will base its operations in a place where the government is in full charge of the internet. Mr Uttama is stuck between a rock and a hard place. The single-gateway system move flies in the face of his promises for a telecoms system that domestic and international companies can trust. Consumers also see the hypocrisy involved. Regulated competition among gateways is what raises efficiency, provides network expansion and lowers prices. A monopoly operation does none of this.
The government could have opened its plan for public feedback, but instead chose to veil it in secrecy. It has nothing to with strengthening internet security, expanding access to small businesses and individuals or providing price relief. The credibility gap created by the government is now the chief reason the prime minister must take the plan off the table, put it on the shelf and not try to revive it before the nation votes on the replacements for the military regime.
