Thailand to test run 5G technology in 2019

BANGKOK, November 15 (TNA) - The Thai government, in cooperation with relevant and allied agencies and firms, plans to concretely test run the advanced 5G digital technology next year, funded by a total state budget of 350 million baht. Thai Minister of Digital Economy and Society Dr.Pichet Durongkaveroj told journalists on November 14 that a working panel in charge of the 5G test run has agreed to conduct a series of both laboratory and field test run. Dr.Pichet stated that his ministry will launch the test run for applications operated on smart phones at the government-supported Eastern Economic Corridor Project (EEC), while the state-run Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commissions (NBTC) will facilitate and support his ministry by providing the frequencies of 3300-4200 megahertz and 24,000-29,000 megahertz (MHz) or 24–29 gigahertz (GHz) for the test run. The minister revealed that NBTC will, on the other hand, launch the test run at its headquarters, emphasizing on the selection and the adoption of suitable frequencies and the solution to the problem of functional disruptions. According to the minister, the working panel comprises of his ministry, NBTC, the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT), the Telecommunications Association of Thailand under the Royal Patronage (TCT) and universities, as well as Thai and foreign allied firms, including TOT Public Company Limited (TOT), CAT Telecom Public Company Limited (CAT) and the Thai Federation of ICT Technology Association (TFIT), Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co.,Ltd., Ericsson (Thailand) Ltd., Quasar Computer Limited. (Qualcomm), Intel Corporation and Nokia Corporation, all of which will hold a new meeting on November 23, 2018 at Kasetsart University, Sriracha Campus, in seaside Chon Buri Province in the Thai East to discuss and select the location of a new 5G laboratory. Meanwhile, a TCT board member, Suebsak Suebpakdee, told reporters that TCT is tasked with looking into any existing legal limit to the series of 5G test run in order to find out the solution. Suebsak said the series of 5G test run should be concretely conducted in 2019, after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the agreed cooperation on the planned 270-day test run by all concerned parties by the end of this year. (TNA)