CREATING AN INTERNET BOTTLENECK
There is a reason this country is called ‘Amazing Thailand’ and this is evident from the flip-flopping the governments tend to do on policies. The current government somehow ends up putting in place policies that are in contrast to the real-world situation. The latest move by our dear leader – Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha -- seems to follow this tradition after it was revealed he ordered the ICT Ministry to look at ways to channel all of Thailand’s internet connectivity via a single channel that would be managed by stateowned CAT Telecom.
The National Council for Peace & Order (NCPO), the body of which our dear leader is the head, cited the need for the private sector to cut its costs as the reason for such action, without explaining why or how it can be achieved.
Many internet service providers offer gateways in and out of Thailand, so consumers currently have a choice. If and when this measure is implemented, the sole gateway would lay in the hands of the inefficient CAT, which some folks in their 30s or older can remember for their dial-up modem services back in the era when internet use was not as prevalent.
Today mobile penetration here is well beyond 100% and internet access is rising like never before thanks to the wide availability of service providers, both landlines and wireless.
Having a single gateway would make Thailand one of the few developing countries in the world -- the main exception is China -- with this kind of connectivity. Think about it, even Malaysia and Singapore, which have one-party rule and strict controls on free speech and information, have multiple internet gateways for their country.
It is not logical to have a single gateway. Has the NCPO or ICT Ministry thought about what will happen if that single gateway crashes? Or how much money CAT needs to invest to increase the bandwidth to cater to current and future needs? Or how inefficient this single gateway would be in the hands of an organisation that failed to change with the times and is now struggling to fight off obsolescence?
Can someone in the NCPO please answer how a single gateway leads us closer to the much-hyped digital economy this government has been trumpeting about?
On one hand as the government wants to promote ‘digital economy’ it is taking many steps backward with this move of plans to undertaking the ‘single gateway’. Promotion of digital economy stands on the very basis of openness and access.
Today very few countries, well let me put it up front, China only has managed to be successful in its ‘single gateway’ policy mainly because the world needs China and its economic power, but where does Thailand stand in this global economic powers? If Mr. Prayut can answer that question he would know the answer to the issue he has raised.
Also let us not forget Gen Prayut was awarded by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) just last week during his visit to the United Nations for using a digital economy to develop the country’s economy. Maybe the ITU would like to reconsider its award given it was Gen Prayut’s administration that decided in June to implement a single gateway.
It looks more likely a single gateway was chosen mainly to keep tabs on what goes out for public consumption and to keep opposition to the military government under control. Whether it is to silence critique or limit access to information, the country loses the most from such actions.
The government is only looking at the short term here, unfortunately. Thailand has been an open economy for decades, but we are starting to take some steps backward. Undemocratic countries are often shunned by foreign investors and trading partners, and implementing policies that are not well thought out for could further dent investor sentiment.
Implementing a single internet gateway would damage the economy, potentially giving our neighbours such as Malaysia and Singapore an upper hand at the very moment we are supposed to be improving our competitiveness ahead of the Asean Economic Community.