Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced the establishment of a new public-private partnership focused on using 5G to encourage economic growth across several industry verticals.
The Thailand 5G Alliance was launched at the recent Thailand 5G Summit 2022. Led by Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency, it brings together representatives from operators AIS and True Corp as well as Chinese vendor Huawei, regulator the National Broadcast Telecommunications Commission, the Federation of Thai Industries , the Office of the Digital Economy and Society Commission, the Thai IoT Association and the Telecommunications Association of Thailand.
During the announcement, Prime Minister Prayut underlined Thailand’s ambition to become a digital hub in Southeast Asia, and noted that the alliance would aim to expand cooperation between the public and private sectors - including several government agencies - to “commercially drive Thailand’s 5G technology development in every industry.”
Specific targets for the alliance include the agriculture, education, public health and transport sectors. Prime Minister Prayut said that the alliance would boost digital innovation and thereby make Thailand more competitive in this space, attracting overseas investment. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has been tasked with developing frameworks that promote the use of 5G, as well as managing the requisite infrastructure.
Thailand held its 5G auctions in February 2020, with market leader AIS launching services just weeks after acquiring a holding.
