Thailand eyes to become regional digital hub

BANGKOK, February 7 (TNA) - Thailand's newly-established Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has a mission to develop a nationwide Internet network to be accessible to all 24,700 villages in the country over the next two years, when the Kingdom targets to become a digital hub in the region. Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, who oversees economic affairs, assigned the mission to executives and officials of the new ministry and agencies under its supervision on Tuesday. The government will allocate a state budget of 15 billion baht to support the mission, in which the nationwide Internet highway will help further develop and turn Thailand to become an advance digital society with a large broad brand Internet service system countrywide to help further develop the domestic economic, social, educational and public health sectors. The ministry is opening for a transparent bidding for the project within February 10, 2017 and the official announcement of the winning bidder is expected by late April 2017. Thailand's main agencies concerned, including TOT Public Company Limited (TOT), CAT Telecom Public Company Limited (CAT) and Thailand Post Co., Ltd. (Thailand Post), have been jointly assigned to drive the project. Meanwhile, Digital Economy and Society Minister Pichet Durongkaveroj told journalists that his ministry also plans to develop a digital park on a plot of 240 acres of land near the Laem Chabang Deep Seaport in Chon Buri Province in the Thai East, located near an industrial estate, a port, U-tapao Airport and educational institutes to pave the way for the development of a new city along the Eastern Economic Corridor. Besides, the ministry plans to expand the Smart City programme to cover such major as cities Chiang Mai in the North, Phuket in the South and areas in the Eastern Economic Corridor. (TNA)