Information and communication technology pioneers are urging new Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Prasert Chanthararuangthong to suppress rampant online scams, promote cross-border e-commerce for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and offer more incentives to companies to encourage their technology investments.
Meanwhile, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is looking forward to working with the new minister on many projects to bridge the digital divide.
Kulthirath Pakawachkrilers, president of the Thai e-Commerce Association, said Thai B2C (business-to-consumer) and C2C (consumer-to-consumer) commerce will have a compound annual growth rate of 75% from 2022 to 2025, surging to 4 trillion baht in 2025 from 817 billion baht in 2022.
She said the new government should push the e-commerce industry to improve its quality by ensuring the e-commerce policies of related agencies follow the same path.
The DES Ministry should also promote cross-border e-commerce transactions for local companies to help them expand overseas, said Ms Kulthirath.
She urged the ministry to establish a Thai fulfilment centre for SMEs in China to serve China-Asean free trade and encourage local SMEs to export goods to China.
A special funding scheme could be set up for SMEs to develop their e-commerce or live commerce channels to empower local online sellers, said Ms Kulthirath.
Supak Lailert, president of the Association of Thai ICT Industry, suggested the new minister accelerate the disbursement of the fiscal 2024 budget.
The 2024 budget bill is awaiting consideration by the incoming government.
Mr Supak said the ministry should also launch more measures and tax incentives to promote investment in technology by entrepreneurs.
Siriwat Vongjarukorn, chief executive of systems integrator MFEC, said the new minister should place the suppression of call centre and online scams on the national agenda because the problem inflicts serious pain on many people's lives and affects the digital economy.
"The ministry can play host by gathering experts to eliminate these crimes. The private sector is willing to send our experts to help," he said.
Mr Siriwat also recommended the government not develop its much-hyped digital wallet scheme using blockchain technology as this platform supports seven transactions per second, compared with existing digital payment systems such as PromptPay that can support 10,000 transactions per second.
The Pheu Thai Party's policy involves a 10,000-baht digital handout to every Thai aged 16 and over, delivered via smartphone. The wallet is expected to be launched early next year.
THAILAND 5.0
Earlier the Digital Council of Thailand (DCT) said the new government should establish a "National Board of Digital Transformation" to gear the country towards the Thailand 5.0 era.
The industry's evolution to the 5.0 era involves access to new technologies and artificial intelligence (AI), plus a "human 5.0" mindset with technologists who understand business and business people who understand technology, said DCT chairman Suphachai Chearavanont.
The DCT proposed five policies to achieve the Thailand 5.0 era. First, the country should promote deep collaboration between the public and private sectors by establishing the national board.
Second, the country should set a goal for 6% of Thais aged 6 and older possess advanced digital skills by 2027. Currently only 700,000, or 1% of the population, possess advanced digital skills. In addition, it is essential to provide 7 million free computer devices, according to the DCT.
The third policy involves creating a digital economy and elevating the Thai digital industry's competitiveness on the global stage.
The fourth proposal is for Thailand to become the centre of innovation in Asean by 2025, mainly in five sectors: bio; nano and energy; robotics and digital including AI; space; and preventive healthcare/health tech.
Moreover, the country needs to create 20,000 startups to accelerate digital transformation and create job opportunities for 1 million digital and tech workers, said the DCT.
The council's fifth proposal is to create a digital society that promotes good morals and culture, reduces inequality and creates sustainability by improving the quality of life of 1 million vulnerable people, enabling them to access universal digital services.
FREE WIFI
NBTC board chairman Dr Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck said several tasks require cooperation between the regulatory body and the DES Ministry.
The first is the expiry of the Thaicom 4 satellite's engineering lifespan next year.
Thaicom 4 and Thaicom 6 satellites were formerly operated by SET-listed Thaicom.
As Thaicom's 30-year concession under the ministry ended in September 2021, the ownership and related assets of the satellites were transferred to the ministry.
The NBTC took regulatory control of satellite affairs from the ministry as the amended NBTC law empowers the regulator as the sole agency governing all related satellite businesses in the country.
Another task involves the ministry and NBTC collaborating on the ministry's ongoing project to roll out 8,000 additional free public WiFi spots nationwide, aiming to bridge the country's digital divide.
An additional joint effort is the ministry's plan to give away tablets to schools. The project was initiated by the Education Ministry and hosted by the DES Ministry.