Panel wants govt to invest in fibre-optic network

The Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand's Committee on ICT Business wants the government to establish a national fibre-optic network throughout the country, putting the issue firmly on the national agenda.

Committee director Sombat Anuantarumporn said panel members had agreed to ask the government to invest in the vital ICT infrastructure, which should be laid down nationwide to link all 76 provinces with high-speed connections.

A committee study found that the cost of laying down a fibre-optic network throughout the country was about Bt10 billion. This is not that much higher than the current cost of renting TOT and CAT Telecom fibre-optic networks - up to Bt8 billion combined - and the investment would break even within three years, it said.

The panel will submit its proposal to the meeting of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade for approval next Tuesday and then forward it to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva next month.

There are already many fibre-optic networks laid down across the nation, especially the core networks of TOT, CAT, the Provincial Electricity Authority and the Metropolitan Electricity Authority. But Sombat said these networks had been developed and built to serve the specific business purposes of each organisation and did not reach all areas of the country equally.

"We want the government to make this a national-agenda item, as it affects the country's economic growth and competitiveness. Having a national high-speed network infrastructure is a must for driving the country's global competitiveness. It would be of benefit across the business sector, as well as socially and politically. We're only asking for the main road of the information superhighway, in order to facilitate the private sector in extending the access network to connect the last mile more easily with alternative technologies, such as 3G or WiMAX in the future," said Sombat.

He said the proposal was for the government to put the issue on the national agenda and for it to invest in the network infrastructure. As to the operation of the network, it would be up to the prime minister to assign which government organisation oversees it.

If the country had a national fibre-optic network, Sombat said, ICT industry growth - normally around 10 per cent per year, although likely only 5 per cent this year - would rise to 30 per cent annually.

"The ICT industry as a whole, including telecommunications, mobile, computer, software and content businesses, would benefit and expand rapidly," he added.

The committee has also proposed the National Economic and Social Development Board put the issue into the next national economic and social development plan. The panel has also submitted its ideas to ICT Minister Ranongruk Suwanchawee.

The committee has also urged the National Telecommunications Commission to provide licences for 3G and WiMAX operators as soon as possible. Sombat said the availability of commercial 3G and WiMAX services would help drive businesses in terms of content, software, services and devices.

True Digital Entertainment general manager Isra Taulananda said once the 3G licences were issued, private-sector investment in 3G networks worth between Bt29.3 billion and Bt49 billion would materialise. This would create many jobs in the process.

Members of the Committee on ICT Business comprise representatives from the private sector, including the companies Advanced Info Service, True Corp, TT&T and Ucom, plus the Thailand Cabling Association, the Association of Thai ICT Industry and the Association of Thai Software industry.