Government’s “Cloud Service” and Free Public Wi-Fi Service

(10/01/2012)

The Government has launched two major projects, one on “cloud service” and the other on free public Wi-Fi service, as part of the “Smart Thailand” initiatives. The initiatives aim to develop Thailand into a society that uses information and communication technology (ICT) in a smart manner, in line with the National ICT Master Plan. The plan states that people at all levels should be smart and information-technology literate, which will benefit themselves and society as a whole. According to the Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Group Captain Anudith Nakornthap, the introduction of the cloud service is a pilot project in response to the Government’s policy of developing e-services. Several Asia-Pacific countries, such as India, Taiwan, and Vietnam have started to invest in cloud-computing systems, which will help reduce IT spending in the public sector. In the short term, the scheme will improve the Government’s ICT management and lower its IT spending by at least 30 percent. In the initial stage, it will be carried out in 10 government agencies, such as the Ministry of Public Health and the Treasury Department, to ensure its viability. The Electronic Government Agency, which is a public organization, was assigned to be in charge of this pilot project for three months, from January to March 2012, before the official implementation of the scheme in April, when 100 government agencies will begin to adopt this technology. About 50 million baht will be required to carry out the scheme on a trial basis. A survey of the IT market in Thailand shows that it expanded by 15.6 percent, to a value of 293 billion baht, in 2011. The Government’s IT spending came to 59.8 billion baht in the same period. As for the free public Wi-Fi service scheme, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology has started the service in the first phase at 20,000 spots in Bangkok and its vicinity. The spots are located in government offices, educational institutions, hospitals, and other public places. Another 20,000 Wi-Fi hotspots will be provided later this year. A total of 250,000 Wi-Fi hotspots around the country are expected in the next five years. Minister Anudith said that the project was a result of cooperation between TOT Public Company, CAT Telecom, and mobile phone service providers in Thailand. It will enable people to have greater access to ICT and stimulate the Thai economy. The Government has set a target to provide 80 percent of the households in Thailand with access to the Internet within the next five years. Thailand’s National ICT Master Plan for 2009-2013 seeks to provide at least 50 percent of the population with access to information, manage ICT with good governance, use ICT for good governance in the public sector, and increase the competitiveness of Thailand’s ICT industry.