Video Report: “Smart Province’ project will bring free WiFi to Phuket

PHUKET: Phuket is slated to have free WiFi throughout the island as part of it becoming Thailand’s next “Smart Province”.

“Access to free WiFi is one of the many benefits of the technology we are using to connect the nation,” said Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) Surachai Srisarcam.

“Through our ‘Smart Country’ project, local government offices, police stations and private businesses will all be linked by one network, through which they will be able to easily contact each other to share and access authorized information.”

The 95-million-baht budget to initiate the Smart Province project in Phuket will also provided one-stop service centers where, with just a swipe of an ID card, residents can access information and take advantage of paperless public services.

Phuket is slated to “get smart” sometime in 2015.

Last year the MICT’s pilot province, Nakhon Nayok, completed the project.

“After Phuket, we plan to expand the project to the rest of the country. However, this expansion could take more time than expected, as we now have a new Cabinet and will have to wait for them to approve the next province,” Dr Surachai said.

Governor Maitri Inthusut and Dr Surachai met this morning at Phuket Provincial Hall to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to get the project rolling.

Dr Surachai outlined the benefits residents would garner from the project:

1. Communication: Residents will be able to access public records when connected to the network, such as information about their families and authorized government information.

2. Tourism: Events and tourism-related information will be accessible through the network.

3. E-service: Public services will be faster and more efficient, and paperwork can be done online.

4. Education: Students in rural areas will have access to the same information as students in Bangkok, such as reference materials and lectures.

5. Government office management: The move toward paperless services will create a more efficient and organized work environment for government officers.

6. Budget: The system will save money. For example, provinces can save up to 4 billion baht on election costs, as residents will be able to vote electronically at the smart kiosks rather than on paper ballots.

— Saran Mitrarat