The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) on Wednesday entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Office of Trade Competition Commission (OTCC) to create guidelines for warding off unfair trade activity in relation to telecom, broadcasting and digital services.
The move takes particular aim at merger and acquisition activity in telecom and broadcasting to ensure compliance with the Trade Competition Act.
The collaboration is expected to produce guidelines to ensure fair and free market competition, said OTCC commissioner Wissanu Wongsinsirikul.
NBTC commissioner Thawatchai Jittrapanun said the global economic landscape is changing fast because of the growth of digital platforms, especially those from the US.
China, a traditional manufacturing base, is also trying to transform itself into a digital platform provider.
"The NBTC sees serious warning signals from digital services and platforms that the government must seriously consider proper regulations to deal with them before it is too late," Mr Thawatchai said.
5G adoption and efficient internet access open the door for ordinary people to have their own business, he said, but large platform owners and companies hold the vast majority of consumer data and enjoy a competitive advantage over others.
Concerns are mounting about regulating digital service and platform providers, including over-the-top (OTT) operators, that have their headquarters abroad. Thailand should follow in European countries' footsteps to regulate these influential digital providers, Mr Thawatchai said.
He said efficient regulation of the industry requires the full strength of government, since Thailand may be challenged from abroad once the regulations come into force.
Mr Wissanu agreed that it may be hard to regulate foreign digital platforms with no offices in the country and that cooperation from other agencies may be needed to deal with them.
Four sectors have received complaints about market domination and unfair competition, he said.
The first is online travel agency platforms owned by foreign companies. They force local hotels to set aside some rooms for their platforms, with or without reservations.
The second is food delivery platforms, which have a variety of commission fees collected from restaurant partners.
The third is e-commerce platforms, some of which have resorted to money-burning activities through promotions.
The fourth is video streaming, in which giant platforms hold a commanding share of the market.