AIS signs 5G deal with Bangkadi Industrial Park in Pathum Thani
Oct 12. 2020AIS CEO Somchai Lertsutiwong, left, and Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, chairperson of Bangkadi Industrial Park, pose after signing an MoU on providing 5G solutions to factories based at the park.
By The Nation
Advanced Info Service (AIS) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pathum Thani’s Bangkadi Industrial Park to provide 5G solutions.
This partnership reflects AIS’s commitment to bringing technological infrastructure to support the management of the Thai industrial sector, the company said.
The pact will help factories at the park keep abreast of changes and give them a competitive edge in manufacturing. It should also generate confidence among foreign investors, AIS said.
“We hope to build a robust digital infrastructure to benefit the country, especially in the industrial sector, which will serve as a crucial mechanism to revive Thailand,” Somchai Lertsutiwong, chief executive officer for AIS, said.
Flash Express gets Bt3-billion capital injection from new partners to tap e-commerce potenntial
Oct 12. 2020
By The Nation
Flash Express, a full service provider of delivery and e-commerce in Thailand, has added over Bt3 billion in investment capital, backed by a group of business giants in Thailand to pave its way into Asean. It hopes to begin operations in three Asean countries within this year.
The investment capital injection is a result of Flash Express’s Series D fundraising round. Later, other Thai business groupings will prepare to announce an alliance with Flash Express, which at the moment is under negotiation and whose results will become clearer in the first quarter of 2021, the company said.
Komsan Lee, CEO of Thai full shipping service provider Flash Express, stated that Flash Express’s business has grown exponentially over the last two years and because of Covid-19, new business opportunities have fuelled growth in e-commerce, making shipping and delivery very popular in the market.
“Moreover, we’ve also opened more branches and have an average of 100 new hires each day. Thus, at the moment, we have more than 23,000 employees. Recently, business titans in Thailand, who appreciate the corporate potential of Flash Express, expressed interest and have decided to invest more than Bt3 billion, or around US$100 million with us,” he said.
“The main goal of this investment is combining the potential and strengths of each of our businesses to develop new business models that can support e-commerce expansion,” Lee added.
“This joint investment is in fact strategic expansion into new S-Curve businesses, namely energy and logistics as well as consumer products and finance to ultimately create market strength. We are also building and expanding into new businesses, whether it’s in the form of financial platforms or merging e-payment into the delivery system for a more complete e-commerce experience.”
He added that in the last quarter or 2020, the company is focusing on expansion into Asean Economic Community (AEC) countries by creating new delivery platforms that can connect the AEC and Thailand into one.
Taiwan looks to closer cooperation with Thailand as it celebrates 109th National Day
Oct 12. 2020
By The Nation
Taiwan celebrated its 109th National Day on Saturday at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand (Office).
Lee Ying-yuan
Lee Ying-yuan, director-general of the Office, presided over the opening ceremony.
More than 150 politicians, executives from various media, overseas Chinese, and Taiwanese businessmen in Thailand attended.
Lee said that in accordance with the Thai government’s preventive measures, the office had to downsize this year’s National Day event.
Lee praised both Taiwan and Thailand for their successful epidemic prevention policies, which can minimise the impact on people’s lives and property.
He said that Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen had assigned him to serve as a representative of the Taiwanese government in Thailand.
He said more than 5,000 Taiwanese companies operated in Thailand and there are 150,000 overseas Chinese in Thailand. “The investment of Taiwanese businessmen in Thailand is very high. All of them have contributed to the continued growth of Thailand’s economy,” Lee said, adding he intended to continue to join forces with overseas Chinese in building cooperation between Taiwan and Thailand in the post-epidemic era.
Talking about their success in fighting the epidemic, he said Taiwan realised that preventing Covid-19 was a team battle and both the public and private sectors are working together in unity. As a result, Taiwan’s daily mask production is the second highest in the world. He said the government’s effective planning and implementation, along with the cooperation of all people and entrepreneurs, made Taiwan safer today. He said 51 million masks labelled “MIT” had been sent to more than 80 countries, and Taiwan had donated 1.2 million masks to Thailand.
Lee thanked Taiwanese and overseas Chinese businessmen in Thailand for generously donating items for disease prevention, worth up to Bt8 million to various agencies in Thailand under the motto “Taiwan Can Help”, encouraging strong friendship between Taiwan and Thailand.
This year’s Taiwan National Day celebration had three main themes: highlighting the achievements of the Taiwanese government in 2020 in combating the epidemic and international cooperation; democratic governance and Taiwanese unity in passing all obstacles. He said that Taiwan had shown great courage and potential to help other countries and move forward alongside the world.
BGRIM puts B40bn industrial power projects on launch pad
Oct 09. 2020
By The Nation
BGrimm Power Plc (BGRIM) is pumping Bt40 billion into seven new power projects with the aim of cementing its status as Thailand’s leading private power producer.
The seven Industrial Power Producer schemes with combined capacity of 980 megawatts have secured financial support from five major banks and will be built by two international constructors.
BGrimm chairman Harald Link said everything was in place to complete the projects, which form part of the company’s plan to build capacity to 7,200MW in the next few years.
The five lenders to the BGrimm projects are Bangkok Bank, Siam Commercial Bank, EXIM Thailand, Kasikornbank and Government Savings Bank.
Construction will be carried out by Siemens Energy Co Thailand and Toshiba Plant Systems and Services Corporation.
Preeyanart Soontornwata, CEO of BGrimm, said that five of the seven power plant projects are replacement facilities under renewed power sale accords.
The two other schemes are new undertakings under the 25-year power sale contracts (PPA) signed with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) in August this year.
These projects are primarily aimed at generating quality electricity and steam supplies to promote and attract industrial investment for Thailand’s sustainable economic growth, she said.
Meanwhile, BGrimm said its financial position remains strong with Bt19 billion in cash on hand and robust cash flows derived from operations.
The company said it is exploring new energy investment opportunities at home and abroad to raise its total generation capacity to the targeted 7,200MW.
Krungsri launches cross-border QR payment for Thais in Japan
Oct 09. 2020
By THE NATION
Krungsri (Bank of Ayudhya) has teamed up with Japanese tech giant NTT DATA to launch MyPromptQR – a cross-border QR code payment platform for Thai consumers in Japan.
The collaboration marks another milestone in Krungsri’s “Digital First” strategy, after it last year became the first Thai bank launch a cross-border QR payment system in Japan.
“We are very pleased to work with NTT DATA which facilitates the largest card settlement network in Japan through its established business platform. The Krungsri- NTT DATA synergy has contributed to the success of Krungsri’s journey to capture business opportunities in Japan,” said Sayam Prasitsirigul, acting head of Digital Banking and Innovation Division.
“Equipped with innovative financial know-how together with NTT DATA’s collaboration and by leveraging comprehensive expertise and extensive networks of Krungsri’s parent company, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group [MUFG], which is Japan’s largest financial institution and one of the world’s leading financial groups, Krungsri is in a solid position to offer MyPromptQR, a state-of-the-art financial innovation, to better meet diverse demands of its customers internationally and to set a strong foothold in the QR payment in Japan.”
MyPromptQR, Thailand’s first business-scan-consumer cross-border QR code platform in Japan, can be accessed through the Krungsri Mobile App and other banks’ apps. It is designed to make payments faster, more secure and more convenient for both consumers and businesses, cutting out the need to handle cash. Users present their one-time QR code generated on a mobile banking app to merchants to scan for payment, without the need to enter the amount.
Lack of middlemen helps property marketplace offer attractive discounts
Oct 09. 2020
By THE NATION
Thailand’s first offline and online property marketplace, Property Discount Center (propertydiscountcenter.com), was launched on October 1 in Phuket.
This site links buyers and sellers directly without middlemen.
“We are a property marketplace, not an agency or broker. You can place an ad for your condo, villa, business or even boat with us and we can share the info with buyers from across the world. Our advertising network covers Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, China, Russia and Europe,” said Stuart Coakley, director of the business said.
“We have over 10 years of experience successfully facilitating sales of property online. Foreign buyers do not have to come to Thailand, all the work can be done without them being present. This is important at a time when investors want to invest, but can’t visit due to Covid-19 restrictions.”
Normally developers and property owners spend 20 to 35 per cent of their selling price on advertisement, marketing, commissions, rental of boots, salaries and discounts sought by buyers, he said.
“But we use another format. Instead of spending on all this, we offer buyers an attractive discount so both parties win,” he said.
He added that during these challenging times, it’s important to find new ways to attract international investors and increase the sale of real estate in Thailand.
Huawei unveils ‘cloud+AI+IoT synergy’ trend, to revolutionise Thai smart business
Oct 08. 2020Abel Deng, chief executive officer of Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co Ltd
By The Nation
Huawei has launched a synergy-based ecosystem between the cloud, artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) innovations to help reduce costs, improve efficiency and boost service quality of Thai businesses.
Such ecosystems will pave the way for the new fully ‘smart’ era for every industry nationwide, the company said, adding, Huawei believes that all businesses and industries will adapt to using cloud services within five years. Cloud service providers will, therefore, need to focus their priority on the issues of data security, communication speed, and the cloud ecosystem.
Abel Deng, chief executive officer of Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co Ltd, illustrates how the cloud, AI and IoT technologies can be integrated and utilised by the Thai business sector, saying: “The joint efforts between the public and private sector to drive technological development is the key reason why Thailand has become one of the leaders in technological innovation adoption in Asean.”
“Such collaboration is seen in policies like the Thailand 4.0 strategy from the Thai government, while the private sector has consistently pushed the boundaries through the construction of innovative communication networks, as well as new service offerings for Thai users,” Abel.said.
“Thailand is also a key market for Huawei, where we offer all four business categories of our products and services: Carrier, enterprise, consumers and cloud and AI. With such a comprehensive product portfolio, Huawei will be able to deliver a complete end-to-end ecosystem, covering both hardware and software, while helping Thai industry further develop at an accelerated pace towards ‘Smart Industry’.”
He adds that cloud technology is the backbone infrastructure that enables other advanced technologies, such as AI, IoT, VR/AR, and 5G, helping foster future-oriented innovative networks.
“The cloud functions like a runway, powering efficient data processing to support these technologies. Therefore, Huawei has given precedence to our cloud development, which includes the establishment of the first cloud data centre in Thailand, operating specifically for the Thai market. This commitment can also be seen in our ‘Cloud First’ strategy for ecosystem development in Thailand, so we can deliver the best of experiences to all Thai users,” Abel adds.
Piyatida Itiravivongs, president of Cloud Business Department, Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co Ltd, states: “The synergic integration of the cloud, AI, and IoT technologies can help support the development of the ‘Smart City’ at a national level, through solutions such as smart city management, traffic management or AI drone inspection.
“As for the private sector, the synergy of these technologies within organisations will help revamp operational processes in multiple areas. Data from various sources will be collected through network systems and Internet of Things applications, then sent to the cloud for processing with the help of AI. As such, Thai enterprises that can successfully adapt these technologies will be able to reduce costs, accelerate back-end operational efficiency and deliver a better customer experience.”
Piyatida says the cloud, AI, and IoT will automate operational procedures within organisations, from basic tasks such as office lighting control and movement of people on premises, to improved operations or customer insights, enabling businesses to offer higher quality products and services and delivering a better customer experience, thereby increasing the number of returning customers and generating higher profits for their company.
Piyatida also adds that, according to the Huawei GIV (Global Industry Vision) 2025 Report, it is predicted that 100 per cent of global business organisations will utilise cloud technology and 85 per cent of all enterprise applications will be cloud-based by 2025.
In addition, 86 per cent of all enterprises will adopt AI technology, and enterprise data utilisation will increase to 80 per cent. In Thailand, cloud services will focus on the public cloud due to its convenience and higher return on investment, aligned with the current economic recovery. Furthermore, the public cloud can increase corporate flexibility, helping open more investment opportunities for business expansion. Organisations who require increased information security standards have the option to utilise the hybrid and public cloud with data centres located in Thailand.
Surasak Wanichwatphibun, chief technology officer of the Cloud Business Department, Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co Ltd, says: “Huawei Cloud is the first and currently the only global cloud service provider to have two data centres in Thailand, dedicated to providing cloud services. The local centres will be able to offer the lowest latency, data security protection under the Thai laws, and 24/7 response from customer support and the R&D expertise team located at Huawei’s headquarters.” Huawei is providing cloud services to customers in various industries in Thailand from retail to banking and manufacturing, as well as international organisations such as logistics company J&T Express, entertainment company Mango TV, and media agency Xinhua News Agency.
“Cloud service providers must place priority on their clients’ data security, and having cloud data centres located in Thailand will help maintain the highest data security since the particular cloud service is under Thai law. Moreover, the R&D and customer support service teams will be able to quickly react to solve any demands or problems. “Another advantage of the data centre being located in Thailand is the higher speed of data transactions, with latency under 10 milliseconds, 5-10 times better than other international cloud service providers, aligned and fully compatible with the development of Thailand’s new network infrastructure speed levels,” Surasak adds.
Huawei Cloud has been certified by more than 50 organisations, including ISOA27701, and aligns with Thailand PDPA.
Furthermore, Huawei Cloud is capable of providing both public and hybrid cloud, and with over 21 years of experience working with partners and clients in Thailand, leveraging its rounded expertise, Huawei has deep insights regarding the demands and challenges experienced by companies in the Thai market, the company says.
In addition, Huawei, as the ICT developer of the entire ecosystem (including hardware and software), can provide better overall performance than other cloud service providers, derived from its operations synergy, with 30 per cent more computing power and 30 per cent more cost-effectiveness, to best answer all clients’ needs, the company says.
Indorama Ventures joins World Economic Forum’s Global Plastic Action Partnership
Oct 08. 2020
By THE NATION
Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL) has joined the World Economic Forum’s Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), the company announced on Wednesday.
The global partnership aims to reduce plastic leakage into the environment and is driving the transition to a circular economy for plastics.
“This partnership is aligned with Indorama Ventures’ 2019 commitment to increase the volume of recycled PET by at least 750,000 tonnes, pledging US$1.5 billion [Bt46.8 billion] towards achieving this target by 2025,” the firm said in press statement.
“By joining GPAP, we will advance our shared goal of ending PET plastic waste,” IVL chief sustainability officer Yashovardhan Lohia said. “Harnessing the convening power of the World Economic Forum, GPAP is bringing together governments, businesses and civil society to forge circular solutions – at both the global and national levels. Our recycling facilities across the world can close the loop and deliver a circular economy for PET plastic.
“In March this year we recycled our 50 billionth PET bottle since we started in 2011. We want to go further because we know PET is fully recyclable: by 2025 we aim to recycle 50 billion bottles a year. To achieve this, we have committed up to US$1.5 billion to expand the recycling infrastructure the world needs. The GPAP community is championing this shift to a circular economy and helping the world to understand the benefits of a closed-loop approach,” Lohia said.
“Joining GPAP is a clear statement of Indorama Ventures’ commitment to sustainability and advancing the circular economy,” said Kristin Hughes, GPAP director and member of the World Economic Forum Executive Committee. “Their global presence, fully integrated model and decades of recycling know-how means they are uniquely placed to close the loop for PET plastic.
“We look forward to working with Indorama Ventures and learning from their experience with collection systems around the world. Together we can drive high-potential solutions to improve collection, ensuring plastic never ends up as waste,” Hughes added.
State telecom agency CAT Telecom has teamed up with IBM to develop the CAT Covid Tracker service for alternative state quarantine (ASQ) hotels to keep track of their guests’ health condition.
This system aims to help reduce risks and build confidence once Thailand reopens its doors to foreign tourists.
Dr Wongkot Vijacksungsithi, CAT’s senior executive vice president for digital business, said the application allows ASQ hotels to keep track of guests’ health digitally instead of getting staff to check on the guest in person.
Under the system, guests will be given a username and password and will be required to record their daily health information, such as temperature and symptoms.
The system will then automatically create files that can be submitted to the Department of Disease Control. The app also allows guests to talk directly to doctors or nurses from partnering hospitals.
The app also tracks the health of hotel staff, providing notifications if any cases are found so other personnel can protect themselves and treatment can be provided in a timely manner.
The CAT Covid Tracker, which took just one month to develop, leverages the capabilities of CAT’s cloud services, together with experiences in open-source management and support services from IBM.
Anywheel ties up with Dtac to launch bike-sharing service in Chiang Mai
Oct 08. 2020
By The Nation
Anywheel, Singapore’s largest short-distance public transport provider, has chosen dtac Business’s internet of things (IoT) solutions to power its eco-friendly bike-sharing service in Chiang Mai.
Dtac Business is a unit of Total Access Communication (dtac), which was created to provide connectivity services and business solutions to corporate clients.
The Anywheel service supports the public transportation dimension of Chiang Mai’s aspiration of becoming a smart city in line with the Thailand 4.0 goals.
Cycling also supports efficient social distancing in the Covid-19 era.
Anywheel, which was founded by CEO Htay Aung, has been offering bike-sharing services for more than three years in Singapore, Malaysia, and most recently in Thailand.
Dtac Business has supported Anywheel from prototype development and testing, to the shipment of the first 1,000 IoT SIMs for installation onsite. Dtac Business IoT SIMs enable accurate vehicle fleet management with real-time positioning of all bicycles.
Rui Jie Seet, general manager of Anywheel Singapore said: “Anywheel kicked off its Thailand operation in Chiang Mai’s city centre and now has about 150 docking stations already installed and more than 6,000 users per day. The company also installed another 150 docking stations at Chiang Mai University and plans to expand its services to other university campuses and industrial complexes. I really hope that in the post-Covid era, locals and tourists will want to enjoy cycling and the scenery of Chiang Mai during the cool months. We know every year from January to March the air quality worsens, but I hope we can help improve the situation here.”
The Anywheel service is simple: download and open the Anywheel app, locate the nearest bicycle parking from its built-in map, scan QR code on the bike to unlock it. The base fare is Bt10, while a monthly pass starts at Bt200.
Anywheel also plans to develop their app to further suit urban needs with electric scooter services which would better serve longer journeys. Currently, electric scooters are only available in Singapore and Malaysia.
AIS CEO Somchai Lertsutiwong, left, and Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, chairperson of Bangkadi Industrial Park, pose after signing an MoU on providing 5G solutions to factories based at the park. 
Abel Deng, chief executive officer of Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co Ltd 
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