Broadband extended to villages for free in digital economy bid

THE kingdom is providing free broadband Internet to all villages in a bid to expand its digital economy from the current 12% of GDP to 30% by 2027.

The expansion plan was unveiled by the National Digital Economy and Society Commission (NDESC) on Thursday as part of its 2018-2037 masterplan.

NDESC secretary general Putchapong Nodthaisong said two phases of the plan were now being implemented with a focus on building public digital infrastructure.

He highlighted the “Village Broadband Internet” (Net Pracharat) project to provide free broadband Internet in rural Thailand.

A total of 74,987 villages comprising 10.48 million people nationwide had been hooked up to free broadband so far, he added.

“The third phase (2023-2027) will focus on transforming internet usage into economic activity to boost digital revenue to 30% of the country’s GDP,” he added.

The NDESC also aims to raise the online literacy rate to 75% by 2027 to combat cybercrime risks.

Putchapong said the third phase of the digital masterplan also included measures to promote 5G adoption by businesses, building and city-planning guidelines to support 5G, ethical standards for artificial intelligence and the use of low earth-orbit satellites to expand internet coverage to remote areas.

Current data shows 83.8% of Thais have Internet access.