At the Thailand 5G Summit 2022, Thailand's Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA) announced the establishment of the Thailand 5G Alliance with the support of Thai Prime Minister H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-cha. The summit was co-hosted by Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), DEPA, GSMA APAC 5G Industry Community, and Huawei.
Over 1,000 government officials attended the event's opening ceremony, including researchers, partners, and journalists who came to experience and explore the possibilities of 5G-powered digital transformation created by the alliance's partners like Huawei. Participants focused on the business potential and application cases of 5G and the efforts that have already been made to promote commercial 5G use and benefit the 5G business ecosystem in Thailand.
During his "5G Leader in the Region" keynote at the event, the Prime Minister explained the alliance would be to help Thailand become a digital center for the entire ASEAN region. He said, "The government has assigned MDES to lay down the policy framework and action plans to promote applications of 5G technology and manage the telecommunication infrastructure that supports 5G technology. This framework will also encourage new product and services development based on 5G infrastructure and will promote continuing usage and a digital industry ecosystem from infrastructure deployment. Additionally, it will also promote collaboration between the public and private sector, through companies such as Huawei, to commercially drive Thailand's 5G technology development in every industry and elevate Thailand's competitive advantages towards the Thailand 4.0 era."
The alliance will include DEPA, and representatives from multiple Thai government agencies, the private sector, as well as industry associations such as the Office of the Digital Economy and Society Commission (ONDE), the Office of The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), the Federation of Thai Industries, Advanced Info Service plc (AIS), True Corporation plc (True), the Thai IoT Association and the Telecommunications Association of Thailand Under the Royal Patronage. As a founding member, Huawei will also play an important role. The Thailand 5G Alliance's main goal will be to increase the country's economic value by promoting the use of industrial 5G applications to achieve service system upgrades in public health, security, education, transportation, factory management and modern agriculture. Ultimately, these advancements will elevate quality of life, equally, and economic efficiency in Thailand.
The Prime Minister continued on saying, "The Thailand 5G Summit 2022 will be the starting point for domestic and international collaboration. It also showcases the telecommunication infrastructure that supports 5G technology in Thailand, which contributes to the development of digital startups and a digital workforce. This collaboration will expand technology and digital innovation, drive economic competitiveness and the digital economy, which will promote Thailand as an investment hub, and the 5G technology leader in the region – with telecommunication infrastructure that supports 5G applications."
Chaiwut Thanakmanusorn, Minister of Digital Economy and Society, also spoke at the event on the broader benefit industry collaboration in this field, "Technology development and digital innovation play a pivotal role in increasing digital applications in various sectors. 5G technology is a key infrastructure component for the country's future economic and social transformation. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, through DEPA, is happy to be joining forces with partners like Huawei to organize events like this Thailand 5G Summit 2022."
Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, DEPA President and CEO, continued, "5G technology is an important digital infrastructure component. DEPA predicts that the Thailand 5G Summit 2022 will create up to 5 billion baht in economic value. It is an important collaboration between the public and private sector, including private supply chains and more than 60 domestic and international investors to help support the country's development. This summit will coordinate between the government, the private sector, and educational institutions to set regulations for 5G applications and support the country's development."
Simon Lin, President of Huawei Asia Pacific, praised this newest announcement, saying, "We are truly inspired by how Thailand has rapidly emerged as a 5G leader in the ASEAN region… 5G technology is a critical element in digital transformation, but it's not a full solution in and of itself. So, beyond connectivity, Huawei will work with the industry to build a range of capabilities in areas like industry application, end-to-end system integration and innovation ecosystem."
Julian Gorman, Head of GSMA, Asia-Pacific Region, also noted that, "The establishment of the 5G Alliance is a significant milestone for Thailand as it is the first alliance to develop a 5G ecosystem in Southeast Asia. The GSMA APAC 5G Industry Community is pleased to collaborate with Huawei, the leading global ICT company, to drive applications of 5G technology in the Thai industrial sector to the maximum potential."
