Equipping people with digital skills in local communities, stimulating a 5G ecosystem and supporting digital content as a means of soft power are among eight projects the Office of the National Digital Economy and Society Commission (ONDE) aims to pursue in 2023 to improve the country's digital landscape.
These projects are part of the third phase of Thailand's digital landscape development plan, which is geared towards full digital transformation. The third phase kicks off next year.
Putchapong Nodthaisong, secretary-general of the ONDE, said the agency is focusing on fostering digital inclusiveness for everyone to drive the digital economy and explore new opportunities for growth in a changing world.
ONDE supports building up digital infrastructure, with the 5G network now reaching 76% of the population.
Mr Putchapong said the country's digital GDP grew by 14% year-on-year in 2021.
"It was driven by digital products and services, representing new growth opportunities in the Thai economy," he said.
ONDE unveiled eight projects for 2023 in response to dynamic changes in technology as well as economic and social contexts.
The first project calls for the development of 70 more courses for digital training among government officials, in addition to the current 60 courses.
The second supports the Thailand Digital Outlook study in 2023, which can deliver important data for use in the country's digital economic and social development.
ONDE uses parameters in line with guidelines provided by the OECD to measure the country's digital transformation.
The third project concerns efforts to improve measuring the country's digital economy and its contribution to the nation's GDP, in line with the direction of economic structural changes.
The fourth project is aimed at developing a digital volunteer network. The project is set to equip people with digital skills in local communities who can encourage locals to use digital technology and help them explore new income-generating opportunities by leveraging technology.
Mr Putchapong said the fifth project involves efforts to stimulate the 5G ecosystem for commercial purposes.
A draft action plan for the second-phase 5G technology promotion and a draft guideline on 5G tech promotion among core industrial sectors (2023-2027) are currently being formulated.
The sixth project involves the development of digital infrastructure and security services.
In 2023, ONDE aims to level up the services of the Government Data Centre and Cloud Service (GDCC) by supporting Platform-as-a-service and Software-as-a-service through the GDCC marketplace.
For the seventh project, ONDE plans to pursue the second phase of the Digital Cultural Heritage scheme, where national cultural resources can be shown in digital form, which could support Thai soft power to generate revenue.
The work can be carried out in collaboration with various parties, including young people, educational institutions, communities and local administrative organisations.
The last project supports the Digital Economy and Society Development Fund to deliver financial assistance for researchers to create innovation and drive digital transformation.
In fiscal 2022, with 2.5 billion baht in the funding budget, more than 600 projects were proposed for financial support and 41 of them qualified.