Review of Thai telecom sector

Abstract

The Thai economy has been registering high economic growth rates since late eighties. The average growth rate has been around 10 percent per annum. Consequently, the business opportunities have increased, creating a demand for greater telecom services. However, the investments in telecom sector and level of telecom service has not been able to keep up with the demand. Thailand has a telephone density of only 3 percent compared with an average of 9 in other ASEAN countries. In this scenario, the Thai government brought about telecom reforms to respond to the growing needs of the economy. This paper documents the status of Thai telecom sector and discusses the policy reforms and their impact on telecom sector. This paper also compares the Thai initiative with reform programs in some other Asian countries.