All these features will be put together at a faster speed and treated as a single fabric for cutting-edge networks as the number of AI devices, for example, is set to increase sharply in coming years.

According to Anuj Kapur, Cisco’s senior vice president for AI and machine learning, the advent of fifth-generation (5G) cellular network will lead to the use of more connected devices on a larger scale over cloud-based computing facilities.

Unlike the current 4G network, which has been mainly used by consumers and platforms such as Wechat, Uber, Grab and the likes, the upcoming 5G will see more enterprises tapping its potential.

For example, hospitals, corporate campuses, smart factories, smart cities, autonomous vehicles and public security systems are among potential users of 5G connectivity which is 10-100 times faster than 4G.

In Thailand, the National Broadcasting and Telecom Commission has urged telecom carriers to roll out 5G services quickly to upgrade the country’s crucial infrastructure, but private investors are not sure if there are enough use cases to generate revenues that can justify the big investment.

Kapur said during a recent Cisco Live conference that South Korea and Japan are leading the efforts to launch 5G networks commercially, with Japan planning to test its 5G use cases during the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

Rakuten of Japan, an online shopping platform, has also entered the telecom sector by launching its 5G mobile network which is expected to synergise with e-commerce and other platforms.

According to Kapur, finance and banking, retail, manufacturing, tele-medicine and healthcare should be among the first sectors to take advantage of 5G along with AI and machine-learning capabilities.

Data processing will be much faster and more accurate, but the cost will be cheaper. For example, a cancer doctor can more quickly and accurately diagnose patients and get better treatment options using the global database of comparable cases.

In the hospitality and retail sectors, businesses will also benefit from having better customer relations and loyalty programmes to boost sales and do predictive marketing campaigns.

Besides 5G, the upcoming Wi-Fi 6 technology will further enhance AI and machine-learning programmes leading to a wider use of programmable APIs (application programme interface).

Human workers, meanwhile, will shift to do more valuable tasks as networks become more intent-based to meet business needs.

In addition, networks can be further extended into oil refinery operations, warehouses or factories via IoT-connected devices and sensors to create smart factories and refineries.

In the oil and gas sector, pipeline corrosion, for example, can also be monitored by the smart network as part of a preventive maintenance and long-term saving programme.

Scott Harrell, Cisco’s senior vice president for enterprise network, said during the Cisco Live conference that a campus of the future, for example, will use Wi-Fi 6 indoor and 5G outdoor in a wireless-first network featuring AI and virtual reality (VR) capabilities.

A software-defined network will not be interrupted as problems can be solved predictively and automatically, while a wireless-enabled cloud with Wi-Fi sensors such as those in an oil refinery will facilitate predictive asset maintenance.

Speaking at the Cisco Live conference, Amy Chang. Cisco’s senior vice president, said cognitive collaboration using AI and machine-learning capabilities will change how people work on LinkedIn, Webex and other platforms while healthcare and other sectors will benefit from better patient and customer experience.

According to Cisco, software innovation has made running and securing networks easier using AI and machine-learning capabilities to cover an entire enterprise network from campus and wide-area networks to data centres and IoT edge.

This will reduce the burden on IT teams who could better focus on more creative tasks, leaving network management to these new capabilities for more visibility, greater insights and better guided actions.

They have extensive free-form swimming pools with a treehouse-themed slide and aqua waterpark, kids’ club with animation team, restaurants, ballrooms, meeting facilities, fitness centre and spa.

Dramatic changes have taken place to the entire property, which has transformed the legendary hotel into a new paradise along the northern end of Pattaya Bay.

New stylish rooms and suites are offered in two buildings: Amari Tower and Amari Suites. There are 297 refurbished guest rooms and suites, including the 19th floor executive lounge in Amari Tower, just steps away from the beach. The Amari Suites, tucked away in an exclusive building, offers a collection of 49 one- and two-bedroom suites, perfect for families and friends travelling together, the company said.

All suites offer ocean views, a dedicated living area with large dining space as well as furnished balconies. The suites are especially suitable for both short and longer stays.

New, inspired dining experiences with multiple cuisine options including Thai, Asian, Indian, Italian, Chinese, among international fare are on offer at Amaya Food Gallery. Aqua Eatery & Bar is another new dining venue for guests to enjoy poolside cool breezes, refreshing cocktails and a diverse menu of informal selections, the company added.

With almost 50 years of experience hosting large-scale events, the hotel’s all-new facilities complement its talented meeting and event specialists. Its flexible venue offerings include the newly built pillar-free ballroom, four additional meeting rooms in Amari Tower, and the Beach Lawn, Amari Pattaya said.

At the newly refurbished Breeze Spa, the treatments are both smart and fun, focusing on boosting energy and allowing guests to simply enjoy the spa experience. Amari Pattaya is located at the northern end of Pattaya Beach, less than 90 minutes by car from Suvarnabhumi Airport.

With over 10 years of experience in visual design and front-end development, Pete Chemsripong, general manager of ThoughtWorks (Thailand), is convinced that the key to boosting customers’ user experience lies in melding technology with art.

Pete calls his global tech-consulting firm a “thought leader” in using technology to solve core business issues. His current mission is to employ the “concept to cash” process to help revolutionise traditional business practices in Thailand.

Technology certainly wasn’t his first love, though.

“When I was young, all I wanted to do was draw cartoons. I was determined to make a living from drawing cartoons despite my family urging me to use my artistic skills to pursue a career in architecture,” Pete said during an interview with The Nation.

A move from his home province of Phitsanulok came when Pete’s mother got a scholarship to study in Australia, which also covered Pete’s education.

His passion for illustration eventually saw him collect a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication from the University of Newcastle, then a Master’s in Design Science from Sydney University.

After graduating he pursued his artistic passion by opening a small drawing school. Then came the fateful mishap that eventually led him to ThoughtWorks.

“After teaching arts to children for a while, my career choice of illustration was no longer viable after I badly injured my hand,” he said. “This was when I turned to technology and started to find jobs as a visual designer.”

Pete worked for marketing agencies as a web designer for several years before joining ThoughtWorks’ Sydney team in 2012 as an Experience Design consultant. He moved on to help build the Brisbane office in 2013 and then set up the ThoughtWorks Singapore design team in 2014. Since 2016, Pete has been working on user-experience tech as part of the Bangkok office.

“At ThoughtWorks Sydney I realised that when you put art and technology together, the work that you create has the potential to transform the user experience of others,” he recalled.

Pete and his ThoughtWorks colleagues have worked closely with industry leaders to improve their software operations in Thailand, including leading firms in e-commerce, financial services and aviation.

The artist turned technologist also promotes the cutting-edge “concept to cash” business process to his clients.

“Competitive advantage now lies in a firm’s ability to innovate and adapt to technological change,” Pete continued. “Traditional business models where operations are split into dislocated departments can no longer cope with the pace of change.”

For instance, firms normally take 24 months to develop a new product and launch it on the market, he explained,

By that time, the product may already be out of date because a competitor will have released a new product in the interim.

The “concept to cash” process establishes close links between different departments of an organisation to foster rapid generation and evaluation of ideas that can be quickly turned into profit. ThoughtWorks uses this approach to develop efficient end-to-end software solutions for its clients, he said.

As a thought leader in design technology, Pete is also a co-founder of the User Experience (UX) Community, a non-profit organisation focused on empowering the local community with better design. The UX community has grown from modest beginnings.

“It started out as a few visual designers meeting up for lunch. We agreed to share our experiences and discuss issues that visual designers in Thailand face,” he recounted.

“Gradually, our lunch meetings grew larger and we started to organise conferences and invited global leaders in visual design as guest speakers. At our last conference, we had up to 600 attendees,” he said.

The UX Community is now sponsored by various firms in Thailand, including Krungthai Innovation Lab, Kasikorn Business-Technology Group and even ThoughtWorks.

Having upskilled from a traditional illustrator to a visual designer, Pete understands the process of digital transformation at a very personal level. He has also nurtured growth of the country’s top software consulting firm and visual design community.

With those glittering achievements behind him, the future looks bright both for himself and the companies he deals with.

Pete’s vision of employing innovative business practices and technology to transform traditional business operations also bodes well for the country. Thailand can only benefit from more ambitious “thought leaders” like Pete.

Manas Chiaravanond, chief executive officer of Chia Tai, said: “India and the Philippines are markets with high growth potential. Expanding the seed business unit to these markets is considered a major step in building on our success in the Asian region. We aim to provide quality products and services that are in line with market demands.

“With our commitment to ‘Growing Better, Together’, we are ready to pass on our agricultural innovations and expertise and play leading a role in the efforts to improve the quality of life of farmers as we continue to move closer to our goal of being a leader in the vegetable and fruit business in Asia.”

To mark the brand launch and the opening of its new office in Bengaluru, Chia Tai India has selected varieties of seeds beneficial to Indian farmers as well as developed hybrid varieties. The company also hosted its first field day at Kannamangala in Bengaluru where dealers and farmers from across India were given the chance to explore a demonstration plot and see the varieties of crops launched on the Indian market, such as tomatoes, hot peppers, watermelons, melons, cucumbers and sweet corn, the latter from the company’s latest breeding development program.

Apart from expanding its seed unit to India, the company has also expanded its business to the Philippines by launching a new brand and opening an office in Fairlane, Tarlac City. The company marked its entry to the new market by hosting its first field day in an area of 3,000 square metres at Balibago station in Tarlac City. Outstanding varieties, such as sweet and waxy corn, watermelons, tomatoes, and bitter gourds gained a lot of interest from farmers, collectors and dealers. These varieties can provide good yields and have high tolerance to pests, diseases and unstable weather conditions. Experts from the company also gave presentations at the field day activity to provide knowledge on the products, techniques, and the cultivating methods that best respond to market demand.

“The company firmly believes that our seeds and knowledge will help create value for farmers, customers and communities. Since its founding, the company has been determined to develop quality seeds that bring success to both famers and consumers. Our company will continue looking for opportunities to develop new products and innovations for India, the Philippines, and other countries around the world in the future to meet new challenges in the agricultural industry,” said Manas.

The ad conveys the message of “Your Everyday Progress”, and was directed by Tor Phenomena, an advertising film director. The ad showcases Thanachart Bank workers’ efforts to facilitate customers’ progress toward their goals.

The video was launched on July 11 as viewers watched a new video ad from the bank, entitled “Progress”. This aired for an hour on 3,000 LED screens nationwide in main department stores such as Siam Paragon, The Emporium, The EmQuartier and outdoor video screens at major intersections in every province, in addition to screen at BTS and MRT stations.

The concept “Your Everyday Progress” is to reinforce the Thanachart Bank’s mission to develop and empower customers to make progress” and achieve their goals, with products and services catered to customer needs’ throughout the financial journey.

Praphan anupongongarch, chief executive officer and president of Thanachart Bank Public Company Limited, said that the era of technological advancements has provided customers with greater convenience and speed for access to financial products and services.

“We believe that a little step every day will lead to a big step forward. Thanachart Bank’s primary step today is a determined push to make customers progress every day and help them reach their goal with the fullest ability from our products, services, and staff,” said Praphan.

The film “Progress,” directed by commercial film director, Thanonchai Sornsriwichai aka Tor Phenomena, delivers Thanachart Bank’s message of “Your Everyday Progress” using real insights and situations in which Thanachart Bank has helped customers.

“The ad tells an emotive story signifying human life and empathy that necessitates a push to conquer hardships and move forward,” Tor said.

“The most extraordinary thing about this production is Thanachart Bank’s courage to take a different approach by welcoming new perspectives and delivering strong messages of employees’ solemnity at its highest. The bank worker’s character looks tough and unfriendly, in in a way that other brands don’t dare to go for. The reason behind is that this person has been with you throughout life’s stages and always be supportive but at the same time, can pick you up and make a strong push to get you started. Every step taken is taken together in the journey. Small progress every day will be lead us to success.”

Taketani said he recognises the company’s roles to advance the bilateral economic relationship on trade and investment between Thailand and Japan.

In the regional context, the company is making concerted efforts with Thailand to expand the cooperation and partnership into neighbouring countries for sustainable growth.

Taketani said the company would  promote more startups and innovation activities and to upgrade industries in line with the Thai government’s economic policies under Thailand 4.0.

He will focus on enhancing more cross-border connectivity within the region, as Thailand is a gateway to neighbouring countries.

Taketani joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI, now known as  METI) in Japan in 1990. In his  almost 30 years at METI, he has served in many positions related to policy areas such as the economy, industry, energy and environment, including as the  director of the Global Environment Affairs Office in 2008, director of Electric Device Industry Strategy Office in 2009, director of the gas market division in the  Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) in 2012 and director of the petroleum refining and reserves division in 2013. Prior to coming to Jetro Bangkok, he was deputy commissioner for international affairs of ANRE, in METI.

In 2006 he was counsel for the economy, trade and industry at the Japanese embassy in the US and in 2015, he was director general of the planning department at the weekend Jetro head office in Japan.

Taketani earned a bachelor’s degree in laws from University of Tokyo in 1990 and his master’s degree in political science from Stanford University in 1997.