BANGKOK, 5 September 2011 – The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will speed up the electronic service development plan for the public sector and high-speed internet connection following the smart Thailand strategy.
ICT Minister Group Captain Anudith Nakornthap said when he presided over a seminar on Smart Thailand that the ministry has a policy to extend internet coverage to 80-85% nationwide within four years and to improve readiness of the public service in the same time.
The ICT Ministry will support electronic services in four aspects, including 1) e-Government such as e-ID card, e-citizen registration, 2) e-Education such as e-learning via high-speed internet, 3) e-Health such as e-public health services and 4) e-Agriculture such as e-services on agriculture.
The operation will be piloted in provinces with readiness on internet connection. The list of pilot provinces will be clearer within two months while the 4-E projects will be concrete within one year before being expanded to cover the whole nation within four years.
At present, only 37% of Thailand has internet access. The ICT Ministry will expand the network coverage to 80% of the country within 2012 and to 85% by 2015. A 30 billion baht budget will be sought for the four-year plan.
