IT & Telecoms

With the country continuing its telecoms development, Thailand’s internet connectivity is about to improve exponentially. Wireless speeds are on their way up and wireless access is expanding rapidly. In 2001 the passing of the Telecommunications Business Act established three types of licenses: one for internet service providers without a network, one for those with infrastructure, and one for private networks. In the second quarter of 2013 Thailand’s broadband adoption rate was up 191% quarter-on-quarter. In addition, the country ranked 39th in the world in terms of broadband adoption and 22nd in terms of connection speed. The local data centre business is forecast to expand by 21% in 2013 to around $56m, due to the adoption of cloud computing, the need for disaster recovery and the increasing connectivity within the ASEAN region. The outlook for the telecoms sector is more positive than it has been in years. Given the 3G auction and the bright prospects for 4G, companies are set to see their business improve, and customers will likely benefit from better performance. This chapter contains interviews with Anudith Nakornthap, Minister of Information and Communication Technology; Pete Bodharamik, CEO, Jasmine International; and Jon Eddy Abdullah, CEO, Total Access Communication.