Thailand develops high-speed Internet systems

BANGKOK, June 5 (TNA) - As Thailand is developing high-speed Internet systems, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Wednesday discussed the development of high-speed Internet and telecommunications networks, including reliable free Wi-Fi services, with the Norway-based Telenor Group. Yingluck held talked on the issues with Jon Fredrik Baksaas, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Telenor Group, who paid a courtesy call on her at Bangkok's Government House. According to Thai government spokespersons, both sides discussed an investment plan of Bangkok-based Total Access Communication Public Company Limited (DTAC) in high-speed Internet and telecommunications development in Thailand, as Telenor holds a stake in DTAC. DTAC has cooperated with the Thai Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to implement the DTAC Free Wi-Fi project and the Thai government considers the project benefiting its policies on the ICT development and the one tablet per child project. Both sides have agreed with the improvement of telecommunications technologies to provide people in Thailand's remote areas with better access to the Internet and information to improve their quality of life and education and to enhance national competitiveness. The government spokespersons told journalists that the Thai government also plans to apply communications technologies to improve health services and care for the elderly. The prime minister and the Telenor CEO also discussed future cooperation between the Thai government and the Telenor group on the further development of mobile phone applications to distribute useful and necessary information to the public and on the information technology (IT) development, which will promote connectivity among member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN. (TNA)