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Wired for a better rural future


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Wired for a better rural future 

By Asina Pornwasin 
The Nation weekend

 

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Rollout of fibre optics in remote villages aims to boost education, healthcare and local economies under the ambitious Net Pracharat programme

 

REDUCING inequality, creating opportunities for people in rural areas and building the competitiveness of the country.

 

These are the cited reasons behind the government’s programme to bring digital infrastructure to all people throughout the country and to increase their knowledge and access to services as they use the Net Pracharat network.

 

Ajarin Pattanapanchai, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, said they have educated people throughout the country on how to utilise the infrastructure network of Net Pracharat.

 

This is being done because the programme will have long-term benefits that include both economic and social impacts for the country.

 

With Net Pracharat, all Thais will have equitable and affordable access to several sources of information and services, including for education, healthcare, e-commerce and government services, said Ajarin.

 

This would lead the country toward the path of long-term stability, prosperity and sustainability, Ajarin said.

 

Hard infrastructure

 

The Village Broadband Internet (Net Pracharat) project’s infrastructure was completed in December 2017, when MDES and Telephone of Thailand Public Company Limited (TOT) laid down the last of a fibre cable network targeting 24,700 rural villages throughout the Kingdom. 

 

One of Thailand’s national flagship projects, Net Pracharat aims to ensure reliable digital infrastructure and equitable access to information and communication technology throughout the country.

 

Meanwhile, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is responsible for 3,920 villages in border areas, and the remaining 15,732 target villages in rural areas. 

 

In 2019, the ministry continues to emphasise the use of Net Pracharat, with volunteers in 24,700 villages, as the young generation and community leaders work to coordinate the project. They report to the ministry about the daily functioning of the high-speed internet Net Pracharat network, other infrastructure-related suggestions, as well as the other needs of local people. 

 

In collaboration with the Ministry of Interior (MOI), training sessions have already reached one million local people.

 

The ministry has also focused on the community digital centres in each village, transforming each locale into a learning centre for the Net Pracharat project and allowing further development of the network to advance local community economic benefit. 

 

The ministry this year will emphasise creating applications and other uses on top of the Net Pracharat infrastructure including e-commerce, telemedicine and education.

 

The additional activities will include Thailand Post’s Point of Sale (POS) initiative to create a logistics platform for delivering products for the villages in support of local e-commerce through OTOP and community enterprises.  It aims to expand the POS infrastructure, offering e-marketplace, e-payment, and e-logistic services for the local digital communities, from 200 units to 5,000 units. 

 

About 900 people have already brought some 1,700 product items onto the platform and created revenues of Bt20 million for community enterprises.

 

This year, the ministry will also focus on finding ways to leverage the Net Pracharat infrastructure for public health benefits. The 30/10 megabits per second (Mbps) network speed as is not enough for establishing telemedicine, so the ministry, working with the Ministry of Public Health, will next upgrade the network speed to 100 Mbps to enable it in 10 locations.

 

Fibre optics for schools

 

Fibre optics will also be deployed this year by the ministry to support school initiatives, bringing high-speed internet to 2,000 to 3,000 schools throughout the country, including the Border Patrol Police School. The Ministry of Education will also be involved.

 

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society will also build the fibre optics network to reach over 800 Tambon Health Promoting Hospitals, the first level of the public health service system in  communities.  “The initiative delivering fibre optics to hospitals is to encourage telemedicine to become a reality throughout the country,” said Ajarin.

 

The ministry is also working to prepare for the 5G era, as it establishes a 5G test bed and conducts 5G field trials at a digital park in the Eastern Economic Corridor.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/Startup_and_IT/30368022

 

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-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-21

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12 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

equitable and affordable access to several sources of information and services, including for education, healthcare, e-commerce and government services, said Ajarin.

affordable according to who ? and what devices will these extremely poor receive the signals ?

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The rural fiber optic roll out has been just really, really impressive. I have a 200mbps package and it's so fast and a godsend to have the option of fiber optic being out of range of adsl. The reliability of the connection has been excellent. Before fiber optic rolled out I was dismayed and bogged down by slow speeds for years and people in the US laughed at the speeds I would get, but now they drool that it's way better than many of them can get. I can stream UHD movies and download gigabytes of data in minutes. Not content, Thailand is talking about ramping up to even crazier faster gigabit class speeds. Hats off to all that made this happen. This is awesome.

 

As far as the rural people are concerned my take is they have yet to tap into the knowledge of the internet. The internet to them is facebook, gaming, online banking.

 

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34 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

affordable according to who ? and what devices will these extremely poor receive the signals ?

During the election period I read an article that cell phones were being handed out at villages for free by the True Corp which is owned by CP which is one of the hugest supporters and donators to the them, or shall I say, the Junta. So the charade continues. Even though a good thing, I see it as a PR stunt. 

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53 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

affordable according to who ?

In our area at the low end they offer 10mbps unlimited for 250/month which is both way faster and way cheaper than mobile internet. They run fiber optic lines to the most remote and poor people out in the middle of nowhere you can think of. Stop complaining about everything and dreaming up conspiracy theories. Props to a good and successful program.

 

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Perfection is not achievable in this world. Just to see sensible & steady progress in rural Thailand is a godsend. With the technology increasingly in place, cultural change & economic progress will follow - but it will take a decade or 2.

 

And then Thailand will be like everywhere else and tourism will come to an end.

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Thailand's high levels of Internet availability and performance are a major advantage over competing countries when attracting the growing cohort of travelers who work online, or even people who simply enjoy spending time online.

While Vietnam is cheaper and the Philippines can be more fun, and both are far easier to stay in for long stretches, the lack of consistent Internet connectivity turns out to be a surprisingly difficult disadvantage to ignore. When returning to Thailand, I am always relieved that it isn't something I have to worry about.

It may sound ridiculous, but don't underestimate the extent to which that factor might be propping up current Western spending in Thailand. All the other complaints - lousy exchange rates, worsening attitudes, military government, increasing visa red tape and financial requirements - can be absorbed and tolerated in a way that the daily annoyance of slow, unreliable Internet connectivity cannot. 

If competing countries finally figure out broadband, it could trigger a significant shift way from Thailand. Hell, if the Filipinos also figure out how to cook it could be Game Over ????

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Why you think Google, Amazon, One web and Space X all want to bring satellites in orbit for spreading internet worldwide, They don't do it for free, the all do it for profit to reach the billions of people that don't have internet Yet.

That's why the government here in Thailand and other companies here do it also, for Profit and political reasons.

So don't think they all do that because they like you so much, they just need customers and votes!

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31 minutes ago, RotMahKid said:

Why you think Google, Amazon, One web and Space X all want to bring satellites in orbit for spreading internet worldwide, They don't do it for free, the all do it for profit to reach the billions of people that don't have internet Yet.

That's why the government here in Thailand and other companies here do it also, for Profit and political reasons.

So don't think they all do that because they like you so much, they just need customers and votes!

But for the customers - whether you & me or the locals - it's not the motivation that counts, just the end result.

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why not add more books and journals to local libraries, instead? books and journals can be shared and reused.  and on the internet today the only stuff worth 2 cents requires subscriptions, unless you read only the abstracts.... with very few exceptions.

 

Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk even Bill Gates, all almost as famous for their summer book reading lists than for being technology billionaires..... not internet stuff.  even in 2019. and when it is on line... it is always with an expensive subscription.... or only worth what it costs.  with one of only a very few exceptions that I know of.... that being the Thai Visa.com website.  not joking on that.

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Libraries? I am so glad you are not in charge. There is nothing wrong with reading books. But personally I'd research and buy them using the internet. Gone are the days of the hassle of going to the library, dealing with card catalogs, getting a half dozen books because you don't know which will be worthwhile, returns, and such. I've never looked back. Sad to hear you have failed to tap into the internet very much. So many people have. Just about all the knowledge of mankind is online and free. I find what is out there astonishing and limitless. I learn everyday from it. The amount I can learn and the speed I can learn it at is light years better than the library. And it's just getting better and better.

 

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5 hours ago, RotMahKid said:

Profit and political reasons.

Exactly, it is important for those in control to maintain control, always has been, off course they have to make a profit also! 

You watch what they want you to watch & never forget they are watching your every action & that is filed away for that - just in case we need it day ????

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8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Net Pracharat aims to ensure reliable digital infrastructure and equitable access to information and communication technology throughout the country.

Which should make the NBTC become a huge bureaucracy to assure content is "correct" and in the best interests of the nation.

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8 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

During the election period I read an article that cell phones were being handed out at villages for free by the True Corp which is owned by CP which is one of the hugest supporters and donators to the them, or shall I say, the Junta. So the charade continues. Even though a good thing, I see it as a PR stunt. 

 

 

Probably learned it from Thaksin..................... not short of a few stunts himself!

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28 minutes ago, Dek Somboon said:

Teach the farmers how to enjoy Pornhub in their free time, instead of burning (plastic) trash.

Well it would certainly boost the sales of penis whitening operations. Or maybe darkening for that xxxtra effect.

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9 hours ago, RotMahKid said:

 

So don't think they all do that because they like you so much, they just need customers and votes!

 

You're taking the fun out of the whole thing.

 

Next the gushing, hugs  and kisses will stop for life in the village.

 

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12 hours ago, canopy said:

The rural fiber optic roll out has been just really, really impressive. I have a 200mbps package and it's so fast and a godsend to have the option of fiber optic being out of range of adsl. The reliability of the connection has been excellent. Before fiber optic rolled out I was dismayed and bogged down by slow speeds for years and people in the US laughed at the speeds I would get, but now they drool that it's way better than many of them can get. I can stream UHD movies and download gigabytes of data in minutes. Not content, Thailand is talking about ramping up to even crazier faster gigabit class speeds. Hats off to all that made this happen. This is awesome.

 

As far as the rural people are concerned my take is they have yet to tap into the knowledge of the internet. The internet to them is facebook, gaming, online banking.

 

Where do you live that you can get that sort of internet connection. I live in rural Khampaeng Phet and I have 3BB 30/10 Mps. It is fibre running past the house and a wire link to the house some 4o metres away.

 

I have AIS, DTAC, 3BB and TOT all going past the house but nobody can supply me with an end to end fibre link so that I can get a better internet connection.

 

When I moved here 14 years ago the best way to get service on a mobile was to go up on the balcony, up the garden a long way or drive 1 km up the road and over the hill.

 

Everybody is saying move to 5G yet I don't have a reliable 4G connection yet.

 

 

11 hours ago, ba ba said:

up my way in issan yes they ran fiber through the villages but copper into the homes if you want fiber to home go and talk to a light post

+ 1

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8 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

what is the point of ultra high speed for foreigners? I thought accessing servers abroad was limited to 50 mbps, or is that all in the past now.

I don't think there is a set limit, but you would have pretty heavy contention on lines into the country. These days, however, most of the popular content is cached within the country and, even, within the networks of the individual ISPs.

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12 hours ago, donnacha said:

Thailand's high levels of Internet availability and performance are a major advantage over competing countries when attracting the growing cohort of travelers who work online, or even people who simply enjoy spending time online.

While Vietnam is cheaper and the Philippines can be more fun, and both are far easier to stay in for long stretches, the lack of consistent Internet connectivity turns out to be a surprisingly difficult disadvantage to ignore. When returning to Thailand, I am always relieved that it isn't something I have to worry about.

Correct - fast internet in Nakhon Nowhere is the major selling point for the digital traveler.

 

Certainly nobody cares about the visa situation when you are left feeling like a criminal in Thailand.

 

On the other hand you can get 12+ months visa in Vietnam, or Philippines but that damn internet is good 15% slower!

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1 hour ago, AtoZ said:

On the other hand you can get 12+ months visa in Vietnam, or Philippines but that damn internet is good 15% slower!

Slow is annoying, but unpredictable periods of no Internet at all is what kills them as an option if you are working, especially work that involves scheduled meetings.

There seem to be some indications that the situation is improving in the Philippines:

Will The Philippines’ Slow Internet Improve Come 2019?

 ... and you would imagine that it should be even easier for Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar to catch up with Thailand. I would be curious to know how Malaysia and Indonesia are, if anyone has experience of living there.

As crazy as it may sound, I could imagine Neom becoming a very popular option for Europeans if they get the infrastructure (including Internet connectivity), residence and, most importantly, tax details right:

www.neom.com


Again, I'm saying that Thailand's Internet connectively currently gives it a big advantage in attracting monied foreigners, but other countries are on course to catch up, and those countries are already leagues ahead in other areas. Thailand could find itself caught off-guard if Internet connectivity is the keystone propping up a significant portion of foreign spending here.

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38 minutes ago, donnacha said:

I would be curious to know how Malaysia and Indonesia are, if anyone has experience of living there.

In Indonesia one simply buys a mobile Wifi thingy. Speed was good enough for me but I'm not a gamer!

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15 hours ago, canopy said:

Libraries? I am so glad you are not in charge. There is nothing wrong with reading books. But personally I'd research and buy them using the internet. Gone are the days of the hassle of going to the library, dealing with card catalogs, getting a half dozen books because you don't know which will be worthwhile, returns, and such. I've never looked back.

I'm still living in USA but planning on moving to CM later this year.

 

I hadn't read a non-technical book for 35 years.  Thanks to POTUS I became motivated to learn how we got into this mess and how bad this situation has become.

 

I went to my local library and registered as a local resident to get a free membership.  With that membership I can access the Overdrive website.  For me the website is lasvegas.overdrive.com.  Each jurisdiction can choose to participate or not.  I don't know anything about the funding of that operation.

 

Through Overdrive I can borrow Kindle books for free.  The most popular books will have a waitlist.  When it becomes my turn to borrow a book I can download and read it for 3 weeks.  I can then read the book on any of my devices.  If you want to keep a book longer than 3 weeks, don't connect your device to the Internet until you're finished reading.  There are Kindle applications for most devices and software choices.

 

For those who still have family members in USA you can probably use their library account if they're willing.

 

The written word is still the best way to disseminate knowledge and will help humans understand and survive the troubles headed our way.

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10 hours ago, billd766 said:

Where do you live that you can get that sort of internet connection.

 

Phetchabun province using 3BB. Fastest as of now is 200mbps but I gather gigabit class speeds are in the pipeline. I was just looking at their web site and this looks really good:

 

3b.jpg.c91b34fc381c86272b580a566a07de41.jpg

 

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