Thailand 4.0 and Thai Software Entrepreneurs head to Asia’s New Mega Technology Event – ConnecTechAsia to Showcase Local Innovations and Business Opportunities

Bangkok, 24 May 2018 – Digital Thailand will flex its muscle at ConnecTechAsia – a new mega technology event that will be held in Singapore from 26 – 28 June 2018.

ConnecTechAsia, combines long-running events CommunicAsia, BroadcastAsia, with newly launched NXTAsia. CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia have served the telecommunications and broadcast media sectors respectively for nearly 40 years, and the new NXTAsia builds upon this to present the emerging and disruptive technologies of this new digital age. Together, ConnecTechAsia is a showcase of the telecoms, media and technology (TMT), presenting a holistic ecosystem of infrastructure and innovations businesses and governments in Asia need to thrive in this new era of digital convergence.

Leading the charge in Singapore is Software Park and the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), organisers of the Thailand Pavilion that will house 13 local technology companies. They will showcase home-grown innovations in the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile solutions, e-commerce, enterprise software and virtual reality among others.

Mr Chalermpol Tuchinda, Director, Software Park Thailand, The National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) said, “Software Park’s mission is to support and strengthen Thai software entrepreneurs in terms of resources, marketing, investment, and modern technology. Software development is beneficial to every business group in the country and enhances the competitiveness of the Thai economy. ConnecTechAsia is a great platform to showcase Thai technological innovations to the rest of Asia and the world. Last year at CommunicAsia, 12 Thai software development companies joined together and clinched business deals worth 31 million baht. This year we expect increased turnover and business matching because of the world’s increasing dependence on the digital economy.”

Looking to use ConnecTechAsia to expand into the ASEAN market, Mr Wootinun Sungong, Founder, CloudCommerce.co, exhibitor under the Thailand pavilion said, “We expect to meet investors from all over the world at ConnecTechAsia. CloudCommerce has a solid plan to expand to neighboring South East Asia countries e-commerce in this region continues to grow.”

Thailand 4.0 – A Way Forward

Presenting Thailand’s digital transformation plan and initiatives as well as the business opportunities this will open foreign investment, the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa), will be conducting a half-day seminar at ConnecTechAsia titled – Thailand Connect.

Chaired by Mr Teeranun Srihong, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, depa, the session will cover announcements on new projects such as the IoT institute in the Eastern Economic Corridor that will be launched this year, incentives and policies for foreign direct investment for SMEs and startups, as well as other digital initiatives in the pipeline for Thailand 4.0.

The increasing desire of SMEs to plug into the opportunities that have opened up in the region with digitalisation is in line with the recent announcement made on 8 March 2018. The Digital Government Plan 2017-2021, aims to develop digital capabilities within all sectors, including agriculture, tourism, education, medical, investment, disaster prevention, and public administration, in order to drive economic and social progress.

“I believe that the “Digital Transformation” strategy will be sustainable and will create mutual benefits for everyone in the global digital market. Digital transformation will result in continued growth of business development through economic challenges, by help reducing cost of businesses, stimulating investment, boosting employment, and increasing revenue,” said Mr Srihong.

Thai Business Leaders at the ConnecTechAsia Summit

The ConnecTechAsia Summit, featuring 200 business leaders, will cover Digital Business Transformation spotlighting the latest trends across ICT, broadcasting and enterprises to enable a digitalised future. The three-day summit comprises three tracks – Networkcomms, BroadcastMedia, and EmergingTech.

Four industry leaders from Thailand will be speaking at the ConnecTechAsia Summit. They include:

• Patompob Suwansiri, Chief Commercial Officer, Thaicom Public Company Limited, who will be speaking on the recent developments in non-geostationary satellite communications, and how portfolio realignment for the next-generation services will look like and how will this resonate with enterprise clients and consumers.
• Dr.Ton Chirathivat, Head of Customer Strategy, Central Group, who will be commenting on 10 Key Challenges Impeding Adoption of Blockchain, and Emerging Solutions.
• Andy Bruce, Managing Director, Thailand Fintech Association, who will be on a panel discussing: The Tokenized Economy – How to Separate Hype from Facts?
• Geert Warlop, Chief Operating Officer, TrueMoney International, on a panel addressing real-life critical challenges on the future of payments, titled The Roadmap of Future Payments – Driving Maximum Value Beyond Digital Inclusion.

Commenting on Thailand’s participation at ConnecTechAsia, Mr Victor Wong, Project Director at organiser UBM said, “We are glad to have such strong support from the Thai government, and business community at the inaugural edition of ConnecTechAsia. Thailand’s digital roadmap and 4.0 vision is strongly aligned to the event’s direction of creating a platform to unite private and public sectors from the TMT ecosystem to help affect digital transformation in Asia.”

CommunicAsia, NXTAsia, and BroadcastAsia Highlights

ConnecTechAsia will see more than 1700 companies representing 52 countries and regions to make up a showcase of enterpise hardware, innovations and services that span the telecom, media and technology sectors.

At NXTAsia, industry professionals will catch the newest innovations and thought-leadership in areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Cyber Security, IoT, Robotics, Cloud and Data among others.

These themes will also be discussed at Big Bang, a brand new one-day conference spotlighting AI, Robotics, Industry 4.0 and future industries, creating a future with innovation and gmented and mixed reality worlds. Speakers include leaders from UBTech, University of Tokyo and Siemens Digital Factory among others.

CommunicAsia, Asia’s most established international industry event for the telecommunications sector, will focus on Network Infrastructure/FTTx, satellite communications and telecom software and services – the latest technologies to help companies and governments in Asia prepare for the coming of 5G and maintain a competitive edge in the communications and digital world.

With on-demand and streaming services surging in popularity, BroadcastAsia will shine a spotlight on the future of broadcasting, exploring how we have consumed news and entertainment over the past decade, and the challenges and opportunities this creates for traditional broadcasters and OTT players. BroadcastAsia will highlight technologies that are reshaping the value chain, such as the latest innovations in UHD/HDR, IP Broadcasting, Live Production, Content Media Security, OTT and Alternative Content Platforms.

Launching at BrocastAsia2018 is the new Esports Arena Studio that will host the first-ever Southeast Asian League (SEAL). In partnership with WeOne, a blockchain-based esports tournament and gaming platform, and esports organiser Cresmos, attendees have an all-access view of the games will learn what transpires behind-the-scenes at esports events. Featuring a three-day live streamed Hearthstone tournament, the Esports Arena Studio will allow attendees to interact with acclaimed esports personalities, players, commentators as well as get to witness real-time production, graphics, audio, encoding, and transmission of the esports tournament.

“Presenting a holistic ecosystem of digital convergence, an engaging event experience and a platform for the discovery and understanding of new frontiers of innovation to elevate the global standing of Asian business and governments sits at the heart of what ConnecTechAsia stands for,” adds Mr Wong. “Continuing the 40 year legacy of CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia, the new ConnecTechAsia will continue to serve Asia as we embark on the journey of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

For more information on ConnecTechAsia, please visit www.connectechasia.com.