The new government should work to streamline administrative processes to keep up with technological change, while continuing to support major development projects, say leading technology experts.
"The new government should consider continuing Thailand's digital economy scheme and the Eastern Economic Corridor [EEC] because it shows consistency and increases confidence for foreign investors, instead of resetting policies every time the government changes, which sets the country back," said Vichai Bencharongkul, honorary president of the Telecommunications Association of Thailand.
He said the Cybersecurity Act needs to better ensure national cybersecurity.
"After the law is enforced, if there are any hurdles to enforcement, they can be amended later. Politicians should think of the country's interests rather than fighting for political benefits," Mr Vichai said.
In addition, the government should start a new committee for the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) as the existing committee operates under Section 44. The new NBTC must clearly allocate new frequencies for future infrastructure development, he said.
Meanwhile, the subcommittee for infrastructure under the National Digital Economy and Society Committee chaired by the prime minister might consider setting new standards for telecom infrastructure, in particular the right of way for satellites and submarines. Offering a submarine licence would lower international connectivity costs and right of way for land that covers telecom wiring and towers, said Mr Vichai.
The telecom association sees government and private collaboration bringing telecom wires underground because the government mandated a plan to put 3,000 kilometres of telecom wire underground within 2-5 years.
The government should also standardise prices and sizes of underground telecom tubes, as prices vary according to agency, he said.
Mr Vichai said the government should consider encouraging local developers of software and Internet of Things to build an application that supports upcoming 5G technology. Another focus should be more investment in deep-tech startups, he said.
Thanachart Numnonda, former president of the Association of the Thai ICT Industry, said the government needs to amend laws to bring more government services online. In developed countries, governments provide a single web portal for state services.
He said policymakers need to open up more data to allow for private leverage of public data to build applications and new businesses.
More importantly, the government needs to draft a law to cope with rapid change in technologies like ride-hailing apps, automated vehicles and e-commerce to keep personal data in the country and protects citizens' data, which would allow local businesses to compete with international e-commerce titans, said Mr Thanachart.
"Some laws like the Cybersecurity Act need to keep the country more secure in the event of cyberwarfare," he said.
Pawoot Pongvitayapanu, former president of the Thai E-commerce Association, said the new government needs to build stability to ensure businesses feel confident the country can move forward and appoint a great leader, not just quota-sharing among parties.
He said the government needs to set quality standards and check cross-border goods imported online, especially from China, as well as encourage competitiveness among local merchants.
