Thailand: Give everyone a part in the digital revolution

Transcription

1 Thailand: Give everyone a part in the digital revolution Thailand seems to be ahead of its neighbors when it comes to internet and connectivity. But the reality is different beyond Bangkok. dtac s new CEO, Lars-Åke Norling, zooms in on a common obstacle that, if overcome, can turn the people of both urban and rural Thailand into digital frontrunners. Thailand is in the midst of a digital revolution. Its digital journey appears to be approaching its peak as it tops global lists of social media and smartphone app use, as stakeholders begin a crucial national dialogue on developing a Digital Economy, as its startup ecosystem flourishes, and as internet penetration growth shows no signs of stopping or slowing. One would think that Internet for All is old news in a country where every third person is on Facebook. Despite these stellar figures, there is a large population still unconnected. Let s take a closer look. Earlier in May, I visited a community in the Ladkrabang district of Bangkok, as a part of our Net Asa programme (in English, Internet Volunteer ). It is only 40 minutes from central Bangkok and just a few blocks from one of Thailand s leading technology universities. Yet, fewer than half of its residents who owned a mobile phone even knew what the internet is. What do the unconnected want? Though the challenges in various communities here are nuanced and subject to many factors, I see one universal cause of the digital gaps we see between 4G Bangkok and talk & text up-country: non-users of internet don t understand what it is. As an operator, we often rely on answering to the needs of those who already know the technology, who know what they want and who seek out particular services. But it s high time we answer to the needs of the other half those who haven t a clue about the internet

2 We ve started. This past May, we began rolling out new 3G and 4G cell sites across the country, connecting communities to the internet for the first time. We make it a point to regularly visit them to explain what this all means for their future. Though I am new to Thailand, my and those who don t care.

3 early trips into communities like Ladkrabang have shown me that there is a hunger to be connected to the internet. A hunger not for the internet, but for the services that live on it. We ve found that when the internet is defined as social media, as Facebook or when people find out that you can get farmer pricing information from an internet app, enthusiasm for it soars. One of the topics we discussed at an internet awareness workshop in Ladkrabang was e-commerce and the commercial opportunities mobile internet could bring. Silence. Then an elderly man stood up and asked, Can I check last month s lottery result on this? The townspeople exploded with laughter. Yes, the mobile internet would help him do that, too. I took that as a lesson on the reality of Internet for All. We need to make the internet itself relatable, its applications simple, and its content relevant. The more that we do this, the more

4 Reshape the internet on their terms likely people in once-unconnected communities will embrace it.

5 Powered by TCPDF ( Our industry also has to revisit the way we view potential customers and the internet services they would most use and benefit from. We need to better break it down into specific tools like farming information apps, specific services like unlimited Facebook or LINE, specific content channels like Wikipedia Zero and then gear any and all of those to the customers and communities who would be most interested and who stand to gain the most. This is putting into practice what we mean when we say, Internet for All. Done right, we can realize a sustainable digital economy and create endless opportunities for the industry to explore. Before I left Ladkrabang, the old man who asked about the lottery approached me to ask how he can get a smartphone and an internet plan. It was a small step, but it s a good one to start with on our journey ahead, one person at a time. The internet that is available to some has played a powerful role in advancing the country s young digital economy. Let s put this power into the hands of all.