Google Thursday announced a collaboration with local partners on access to education, content, localised products and small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) promotion as part of the tech giant's long-term goal of broadening its digital economy network in Thailand.
The strategy was announced Thursday at Google's first-ever event in the country, dubbed "Leave No Thais Behind".
According to Ben King, country director of Google Thailand, the company will launch its high-speed public WiFi, Google Station, through a partnership with CAT Telecom. The scheme will be sponsored by Unilever.
Thailand will be the fourth country in the world in which Google will introduce the high-speed public WiFi platform. The company launched the product in India two years ago, in Indonesia in 2017 and in Mexico City in March 2018.
Google will also partner with True Digital Park to build Google Space, a digital skills training facility in Bangkok that will open on the same date as True Digital Park.
On the SME and startup front, Google Thailand announced a collaboration with Siam Commercial Bank that will let Thai SMEs sign up and get verified for Google My Business, a free business listing on Google Search and Google Maps, through SCB personnel who will visit SMEs at their offices.
Lastly, Mr King said the company will relaunch its YouTube Pop-Up Space in Bangkok this November, giving Thai creators access to state-of-the-art production facilities to support localised product and content development.
The company is introducing a data plan in collaboration with Advanced Info Service to attract Thailand's growing YouTube community. Mobile leader AIS will offer unlimited data packs at nine baht per day for YouTube Go, an app that lets viewers in Thailand watch and share YouTube videos with a slow or no internet connection.
This move could represent an important advantage for AIS, especially with regard to its younger cohort who are heavy video and data users.
The "strategic partnership", however, is not exclusive, which means the second- and third-largest operators could also offer the service in future. Details about the duration of the AIS deal were not disclosed.
While the Google collaboration could help broaden the telecom's customer base, it could also have an effect on AIS's absolute profits by cannibalising more expensive products. Users whose video habits compel them to buy expensive data packages can now migrate to the more affordable service.
Pratthana Leelapanang, chief consumer business officer for AIS, denied that the scheme would have any such effects, given that the cheaper packages will also use less data.
"It's a win-win situation," he said.
The Google event was attended by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Digital Economy and Society Minister Pichet Durongkaveroj and Glyn Davies, the US ambassador to Thailand.
Gen Prayut said the collaboration between Google and local firms is critical to the Thailand 4.0 policy.
"Today, the government is moving several critical projects related to the digital economy, including smart cities, digital government, big data management and cybersecurity," the premier said. "The question is how we will keep creating value through these projects for the next 20 years, in line with our 20-year national strategy roadmap."