Fostering economic development through telecommunications in South East Asia: Challenges facing the Thai telecommunications regulators

Abstract

Advances in telecommunications offer benefits from its products and services. These are crucial for both the economic and social development of a nation. To date, most developing nations are struggling to establish a comprehensive National Telecommunications Planning Practice (NTPP) framework for exploiting the strategic benefits through the proper use of telecommunications. Does telecommunications infrastructure help foster economic development in Thailand? Existing literature on telecommunications provide an understanding that the economic development of a nation can be achieved through the development and proper use of telecommunications infrastructure. Why do Thailand and other countries fail to make optimal use of telecommunications to improve the economy? This study is based on the argument that telecommunications can only help the economic development, when there is a strategic fit between telecommunications planning practices and the environmental forces. The overall aim of this study is to provide an analysis of the perceived environmental complexities of Thai telecommunications and its impact on economic development. In particular, the study focuses on providing a rationale for the questions addressed: How are the environmental factors influencing Thailand's NTPP? What are the causes of these rather diverse and ambiguous outcomes and industry growth of Thai telecommunications? In this regard, it important to have an understanding of the relationships between a NTPP, Government regulation and technological changes for telecommunications. The findings highlight the need for a formal public policy and regulatory framework, which may guide Thailand in exploiting telecommunications for economic development. The lack of formal public policy and appropriate regulatory framework is seen as a major contributing factor to Thailand's current economic crisis.