Phuket crowned Thailand’s tech haven

Phuket has been declared Thailand’s most technologically advanced province among 23 smart provinces, while Wangchan Valley in Rayong clinched the top spot in the city category, according to a report by the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA).

The rankings, unveiled by DEPA’s Smart Cities Office in the Thailand Smart City Competitiveness Index (TSCCI) 2023 report, evaluated 30 smart cities across 23 provinces. DEPA President Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin detailed the results, revealing the top performers in both city-based and province-based categories.

In the city-based category, Wangchan Valley emerged as the leader with an impressive performance score of 83.55%, followed by Bangkok’s Samyan Smart City at 79.02%, and Khlong Phadung Krungkasem town at 74.55%.

For the province-based rankings, Phuket led the pack with a score of 83.6%, with Chachoengsao and Khon Kaen trailing at 76.78% and 53.81%, respectively.

Nuttapon explained that the performance scores were based on five key factors:

• Visions, goals, and characters of smart cities
• Development of physical and digital infrastructure
• Information network and IT security development
• Smart cities services
• Strategies for sustainable investments and management

The competitiveness index aims to inspire other provinces to enhance their smart city initiatives. DEPA is set to expand these developments to 105 towns across 77 provinces by 2027, reported The Nation.

Highlighting the achievements in various smart environment goals, Nuttapon mentioned:

• Smart Environment: Mueang Yala, Yala
• Smart Economy: Mueang Yala
• Smart Energy: Mae Moh, Lampang
• Smart Governance: Mueang Khon Kaen, Khon Kaen
• Smart Living: Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem, Bangkok
• Smart Mobility: Samyan, Bangkok
• Smart People: Mueang Phuket, Phuket

In related news, Bangkok Land, a Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET)-listed company, is poised to transform Mueang Thong Thani into a smart city district.

This ambitious plan includes the establishment of a new seafood and fruit centre aimed at providing affordable goods to attract tourists to Nonthaburi. The development is strategically timed to coincide with the launch of the Pink Line monorail service, set to commence operations next year.