Adoption forecast to eclipse mobile
Internet of Things (IoT) adoption in Thailand has been growing faster in both the consumer and business sectors.
Panutat Tejasen, a pioneer in the maker community, said IoT is an emerging global technology that is significant because it enables digital transformation.
The adoption of IoT will happen much faster than it did for personal computers or mobile phones, said Mr Panutat.
IoT is gaining momentum in Thailand because of readiness in network infrastructure — Advanced Info Service (AIS) and TrueMove H provide NB-IoT (narrow-band IoT) network nationwide and CAT Telecom offers LoRaWAN (long-range wide-area network).
“Thailand is advanced in terms of network availability and that makes us one of the IoT leaders in Asean,” he said.
IoT implementation can be scaled up because of declining prices of IoT-related components such as sensors, processors and IoT gateways. A community of software developers and hardware makers is also stimulating the growth of IoT.
Thailand should focus on IoT adoption for precision farming, which is a strong real sector base for the country. For tourism including smart cities, the technology can be applied to sustainable development, giving visitors a better experience.
“We can add IoT for environmental monitoring and waste management, bike sharing, city monitoring, indoor mapping navigation, smart bus stops and more,” said Mr Panutat.
Kriengsak Wanichnatee, chief technology officer at AIS, said all parties in Thailand are enthusiastic about IoT adoption for consumer technology, including smart homes and smart parking, along with organisations involved in infrastructure management, such as smart logistics, smart cities, smart farming and smart environment.
AIS said it is ready to support all parties through the development of technological networks like the NB-IoT and eMTC (enhanced Machine-Type Communication).
The two networks can merge their features for mutual support.
For example, eMTC is suitable for supporting mobile IoT such as connected cars and new voice-controlled IoT devices, while NB-IoT focuses on energy-saving for devices and distant communications.
The eMTX network is expected to achieve nationwide coverage this quarter.
The readiness of the network and the collaboration between AIS and its strategic partners through the AIS IoT Alliance Program (AIAP), launched earlier last year, helped the company become the first provider of IoT commercial service.
Thibaut Girard, head of strategic transformation at Total Access Communication Plc (DTAC), said 5G network development will fuel IoT adoption. DTAC is developing technology and partnership models that help build the IoT ecosystem and support those wanting to launch IoT solutions in Thailand.
Key technological building blocks include IoT networks such as NB-IoT, LTE-M or 5G, managed connectivity, open APIs and IoT cloud offerings.
DTAC aims to be an accelerator of IoT innovation in Thailand by fostering new innovative solutions through partnerships with startups, SMEs and large firms.
The company plans to build its own vertical IoT solutions as has already worked on social projects like smart farming IoT solutions.