Thailand is currently on its 12th National Economic and Social Development Plan (2017-2021) with future growth forecasted to be stable between 3% – 4% as private consumption and public and foreign investments continue growing. One of the plan’s key focus is the Thailand 4.0 policy which aims to revolutionize the majority of the country’s industry through digitalization. Under Thailand 4.0, the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) is set to be a pillar of digital and economic transformation in the country. The government is set to invest $45 billion to develop the area with the Digital Park Thailand as its core. The park will house digital infrastructure crucial to the country’s aim to be a digital innovation hub.

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society introduced the Digital Agenda 2018 in line with Thailand 4.0 to reduce income and development disparity throughout Thailand, and capacity building for progression towards a digital workforce and economy. The agenda focuses on smart cities and IoT development to achieve Digital Thailand. The 5 areas are: 1) Digital Infrastructure 2) Digital Government 3) Digital Manpower 4) Cyber Security 5) Digital Tech Developments

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society also presented a Smart Cities Framework. The framework aims to develop livable cities that are efficiently managed and sustainable in operations through use of digital technologies. The goal is to have 77 developed smart cities by 2023. Pilot smart cities such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai will serve as testbeds to refine the approach as the government accelerates the implementation process with a goal of at least 30 smart cities between 2019 to 2021.

The 31^st edition of Asia IoT Business Platform will be held in Bangkok on 31 July – 01 August 2019.