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Greater use of the Internet and electronic
commerce should help boost output at small companies and
operators in the agriculture sector especially, Pornchai
Rujiprapa, minister of Information and Communication Technology
(ICT), told Reuters.
Each 10 percent increase in production would boost gross
domestic product (GDP) by 1.3 percentage points, or almost 150
billion baht, Pornchai said in an interview.
The move is part of the digital economy policy initiated by the
military government in power since last May.
Thailand logged GDP growth of only 0.7 percent in 2014, hit by
weak exports and domestic consumption after the economy stalled
during months of political unrest.
Analysts say network installers and equipment providers such as
Interlink Communication and Samart Telcoms should benefit from
the policy.
Shares in the two companies have risen more than 20 percent in
the past three months, outperforming a 2 percent gain in the
main Thai index.
Thailand, a country where mobile penetration has hit more than
100 percent, has 35 million Internet users in a population of 67
million people, with 70 percent going online for entertainment,
Pornchai said.
Existing Internet networks are available in major cities but the
ministry wants to expand coverage to remote areas in the
provinces, combining the telecoms infrastructure of state
companies to create a national gateway.
"In some areas in major cities, Internet network capacity has
exceeded demand by 30-40 percent. We need to combine the
capacity belonging to state agencies first to create one
platform," the minister said.
Networks to be combined would include those of the two state
telecom companies, TOT Pcl and CAT Telecom, he said, adding the
two were selecting advisers to explore whether to merge some of
their similar businesses to boost efficiency.
The ministry also planned to create an integrated information
center for the various state ministries and agencies to help
private sector operators get information more quickly, he said.
(Writing by Khettiya Jittapong; Editing by Alan Raybould)
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