Technology News
Stay updated on Thailand’s latest technology advancements, from AI and startups to gadgets and industry trends. Explore key innovations shaping the country’s digital landscape.
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Sponsored Thailand health insurance that covers chronic conditions: What expats need to know
The Thaiger key takeaways Managing chronic conditions in Thailand requires health insurance that covers specialist visits, medications, tests, and hospital stays. Cigna offers high-coverage plans with access to top hospitals, direct billing, and telemedicine support for convenient long-term care. Expats...
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Thai government extends contact-tracing app to Bangkok metro, Skytrain services
Thai Chana is coming to an MRT station near you… As social distancing requirements are eased on public transport, the Thai government says that from today, passengers must check in and out of the capital’s metro and Skytrain services through the Thai Chana platform. Officials from both the MRT and BTS services say passengers are also asked to refrain from…
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China’s second-richest is an ex-Google employee
Apparently, working for any kind of technology company in today’s world can reap massive wealth. That’s the case for one of China’s citizens who became the second richest person in the nation after previously working for Google. Colin Huang is valued at $45.4 billion by Forbes, placing him second in China after Tencent’s Pony Ma after his e-commerce company Pinduoduo…
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Supercomputer from Japan now tackling Covid-19
The world’s fastest supercomputer from Japan is now being used to tackle the global Covid-19 pandemic. Japan’s Fugaku supercomputer claimed its spot this week as a global super-computer as it has been shown to process 2.8 times more data per second than an IBM computer in the US. Its name Fugaku is Japanese for Mount Fuji. The computer simulates how…
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Apple reveals new CarKey to unlock your car from your phone
In Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, Apple launches its new iPhone app, CarKey, which allows drivers to unlock their cars wirelessly on their phones. The wireless car key will be available on Apple’s new iOS 13 operating system as well as the upcoming iOS 14 system on Monday. The first car to endorse this new feature will be the 2021…
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Thai Health Minister Anutin takes to TikTok
Warning! TikTok Thailand says only 1% of its users are aged 45-55. Turns out one of them is Thailand’s mercurial Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul. Remember him? He disappeared from Twitter after his comments about “dirty farang” in the early days of the Covid-19 crisis, where he accused foreigners of being the cause of the outbreak in Thailand. His racist remarks…
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Activist asks why the government wants public mobile phone data
The secretary-general of the Thai Constitution Protection Association has denounced government plans to ask phone operators for details of the public’s usage, which officials claim would only be used to prevent any resurgence of the Covid-19 virus. Srisuwan Janya plans to file a petition with the National Human Rights Commission today, calling for the Ministry of Defence and the Disease…
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Cyber minister wants Netflix-like Thai streaming platform
Thailand’s minister of digital economy and society, aka. “cyber minister” says that Thailand should have its own streaming platform to bring in revenue and promote Thai movies and television overseas. Puttipong Punnakan remarked at a forum that creating a Netflix-like platform to stream and sell Thai films and series to foreign audiences would reel some sweet, sweet subscription revenue into…
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Robots provide novel approach to virus prevention at Bangkok mall
A robot dog is helping protecting people from the coronavirus at a Bangkok shopping centre by dispensing hand sanitiser. It’s name is K9 and it runs off 5G internet from the mobile phone operator AIS (The Thaiger smells a PR stunt for the new AIS 5G network). K9 looks like he, or she, needs a head and a wagging tail. A…
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Internet service blocks PornHub, backs down after outrage
It’s no secret pornography is a little tricky to access in Thailand (according to someone else’s research). Recently, the internet service True Online confirmed that they are blocking the popular site PornHub, but quickly backed down on their statement after a storm of angry comments on Twitter. “I pay you asshole, are you my parents?” one person wrote on Twitter,…
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‘New normal’ seen in shopping malls across Bangkok
Part of the ‘new normal’, in times of Covid-19 in Thailand, involves redesigning traditional ways of doing things and changing daily life to stay safe and virus free. Today The Standard has revealed a few things that you might see in the near future. To minimise the risk of the spread of Covid-19 in elevators, engineers have created a new,…
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‘Thai Chana’ app to help track ‘safe’ retailers in a Covid era
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society revealed the details of “Thai Chana”, (Thailand Wins) a smartphone application to facilitate safety for both customers and establishments during the Covid-19 era. The businesses must register for the QR code and place it in front of the shop on the website. Customers will log in by scanning their QR code. This can…
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New app latest weapon in Thailand’s fight against Covid-19
In line with developments around the world, Thailand’s Covid-19 task force has developed a contact-tracing app as the fight to eradicate the virus continues. Coconuts reports that the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society says the app, known as Thai Chana (Thailand Wins) will be used to track people’s movements in order to easily contact anyone who may have visited…
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Checkpoint-tech introduced at the Phuket road entry point
Today 10 million baht was donated to the Tha Chatchai checkpoint (at the northern road entry on the island) for a new project called “Phuket Smart Check Point”. The project is aimed to support the islands’ reopening measures and help conduct screenings for high-risk groups. Not only will the project be used for Covid-19-related issues but the project will also…
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Thailand to introduce contact-tracing app in bid to constrain virus
More news is expected today about a new contact-tracing app being launched as part of the Thai government’s latest efforts to constrain the spread of the Covid-19 virus. A report in Nation Thailand says authorities will shift their focus from location targeting to increased testing of six groups considered high-risk. They include healthcare workers, those in state quarantine and newly…
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20,000 military-grade masks are on the way to help battle Covid-19
The Thai Royal Army has approved the production of military and medical protective masks, a total of 20,000 pieces valued at 600 million baht, to help the nation save over 500 million baht on imported N95 masks. Funding has come from government agencies and the private sector, hoping to help 500 medical personnel in need in the southern border provinces…
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Cable and satellite provider True Visions faces backlash over “censorship officer”
Satellite and cable TV provider True Visions is in hot water after posting an advert seeking an “international news censor” on the biggest online jobs board in Thailand. The ad, which appeared on the JobsDB site, said the right candidate would be required to scrutinise 17 foreign news channels and report any “inappropriate” content to supervisors. A report in Coconuts…
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What is 5G? Everything you should know about the next-gen mobile.
So what is 5G? 5G literally means fifth-generation wireless technology. The successor to 4G, the biggest changes include higher speeds, lower latency, and the ability to connect more devices at once. The benefits of 5G aren’t limited to its use. Qualcomm is predicting a $12.3 trillion economic boost worldwide, with 22 million new jobs thanks to both the infrastructure and…
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From Star Trek to the Galaxy Z Flip phone – a new foldable comes to Thailand
The $1,500 Motorola RAZR flip phone, a sort of ‘smartphone’ version of its original 2004 market favourite, was twice the cost of an iPhone 11, looked cool but had a small battery and plastic screen. It was a throwback to the earlier design but with a foldable screen, the latest ‘thaeng’ in the smart-phone world. Now there’s the new Galaxy…
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Grab plans to be in 30 Thai provinces this year
Grab, the everyday-everything-travel-food-delivery-super-app, has kicked off 2020 by announcing its expansion plan to second-tier cities and provinces across Thailand through a new, innovative business model using Mini-Grab Centres (Mini-GCs). The move will see it extend its presence to 30 of Thailand’s 76 provinces before the end of 2020 and help increase the benefits of Thailand 4.0 and the digital economy…
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2nd annual Thailand Game Expo opens at BITEC in Bangkok
AIS and M Vision have kicked off the 2nd Thailand Game Expo at the BITEC centre (Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre) in Bangna. 700,000+ visitors are expected to attend the Expo this year, which runs through to this Sunday (February 2) and product sales tipped to top 2 billion baht. The event is organised by AIS eSports. Alistair Johnston, the…
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Online grocery shopping gains popularity in Thailand
Squeezing the avocados and smelling the mangoes, in person, may well become a thing of the past as online grocery buying quickly gathers pace. The intense competition in online grocery sales is expected to surge in 2020. Online Apps like Line, Grab and Lazada are making major inroads into the Thai grocery market valued around 30 billion baht. Pushing the growth…
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Electric vehicle registrations in Thailand rose 380% in 2019
Electic cars (EVs) are on the rise in Thailand. The Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT) reports a sharp increase in the number of electric vehicles registered in 2019. Department of Land Transport statistics show that, as of December 31, there were 2,854 electric vehicle registrations, including 1,572 new cars, up 380% from 2018 when only there were only 325 registered.…
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Asia leads the way in travel technology over next decade
In an industry already heavily “disrupted” by technology, tourism and travel will see even more of the business-side move online. Singapore-based travel booking company Agoda says that single one-stop-shop apps for all travel needs, passport free travel, and mobile app check-in are the top three new travel trends expected by travellers. Their report indicates travellers now expect a lot more from their travel experience…
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Why is Thailand’s PropTech market so valuable…
… and who will come out on top in the battle of the portals and hybrids, 2020 and beyond? How big is the Thailand economy? Is Thailand just for tourism? The explosive growth in the economy has now placed Thailand as the second largest economy in Southeast Asia. With over 70 million people now residing in Thailand, the country boasts one of…
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The dangers of 5G – coming to a mobile phone near you
MONTAGE: The Thaiger 5G, the next generation of mobile phone technology is coming, within months here in Thailand. It will continue to roll out over the next few years, replacing the earlier 4G technology. Along with any new technology there’s also valid concerns about potential health risk of this new, more powerful network. There’s also been a lot of misinformation…
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Thailand rated near bottom for privacy protection
Thailand’s new cybersecurity law could be used ‘to silence critics’, according to a new survey of 47 countries. Thailand placed in the bottom five out of 47 countries ranked for privacy protection, according to a study by Comparitech, a website that researches and compares technology services. Thailand and Malaysia scored 2.6 out of 5, followed only by India (2.4), Russia (2.1)…
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True to introduce 5G with help from China Mobile
Kittinut Tikawan, president of Thai communication giant True Corporation, says True Move H Universal Communication plans a soft launch of 5G wireless broadband in Thailand within 2-3 months, through close collaboration with China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile operator. 5G mobile communications will allow virtually ‘instant’ delivery of video and services with remarkable leaps in speeds, at least 10-fold. The…
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Thai immigration’s biometrics nabs 3 more fake passport holders
Thailand’s Immigration Bureau commander says the biometric system at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport caught three foreigners carrying fake passports during the month of September. “In the first case, immigration police arrested an Iranian man, aged about 47 years, holding a French passport and travelling from Germany to Thailand. The biometric scanning showed only a 19% match between his face and passport…
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AirAsia’s inflight WiFi is getting faster
WiFi on planes is the next-gen convenience, or potential annoyance, depending on your attitude to people being ‘connected’ all around you. But for business people, parents with families or bored flyers, it will be a welcome addition to the low-cost flying experience. Now passengers on board AirAsia can look forward to an “enhanced inflight entertainment and connectivity experience” with the…
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Thai Central Bank ‘sandboxing’ biometrics to open a saving account
The Bank of Thailand’s assistant governor for payment systems policy and financial technology group, Siritida Panomwan, says that 10 commercial banks and non-bank financial institutes were participating in the BoT’s ‘sandbox’ project to test-run biometric technology known as e-kyc (“electronic know your customer”, not a special lubricant gel) to electronically verify the identity of customers. “So far none of the…
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