Google Thailand offers free public Wi-Fi

Ben King, National Director for Google Thailand, announces a series of initiatives to support Thailand's digital economy. THE NATION

Google Thailand yesterday launched a series of initiatives, including free public broadband Wi-Fi, to allow more Thai consumers and businesses to participate in the growth of the Internet. 39, digital economy.

The first Google for Thailand event, organized in Bangkok under the theme "Leave no Thai behind", aims to promote the equality of digital access. Ben King, Google Thailand's national director, said at the event that Google's initiatives would cover the four pillars: access, education, content and products, and small and medium-sized businesses. enterprises (SMEs). "They were designed to ensure that all Thais have opportunities and know-how to access technology and use it to create livelihoods," he said. He showed a projection of digital economic opportunities in Thailand worth 37 billion US dollars, while the opportunity in Southeast Asia is 200 billion US dollars. In addition, Thailand is number 5 for the average peak connection speed of 106 MB per second. According to Akamai Technologies, a content delivery network and a cloud computing service provider, Singapore leads, followed by Hong Kong, South Korea and Qatar.

4G coverage across the country. The event was also attended by Prime Minister, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who delivered a speech on the vital role that digital technology will play in achieving the government's 20-year national strategic plan. However, he urged Internet users to learn to use the benefits of digital technology, but not to use it. One of the highlights launched yesterday was Google Station, a public broadband Wi-Fi program undertaken in Thailand, in partnership with CAT Telecom, sponsored by Unilever.

Google Station will begin in 10 sites across Bangkok and in two provinces, Pichit and Loei, and will be extended to other parts of the country in the coming months, allowing more Thais to access a free and reliable Internet connection, said Anjali Joshi, vice president of product management

. Free Wi-Fi in Bangkok includes Hualamphong Train Station and Megabangna Shopping Center. To register, users must log in to the FreeGoogleStation-CAT Wi-Fi system and enter their mobile number and name.

Thailand is the fourth country to have Google Station, after India, Indonesia and Mexico. King also announced the construction of the Bangkok Academy – A digital training space at True Digital Park Bangkok

It will open later this year and will be a new training venue for Google program participants Ignite, a two-month digital marketing training course that prepares university students for careers in Thai companies.

Google has also introduced a new feature, the motorcycle mode, for Google Maps in Thailand. Krish Vitaldevara, product manager for Google Maps, said the new feature will help 20 million Thai motorcyclists plan their routes, taking into account the shortcuts and narrow roads that only motorcycles and scooters can borrow and offer time to travel. more precise displacement.

Mukpim Anantachai, Director of the YouTube Partnership, YouTube Thailand, said the company would relaunch the YouTube Pop-Up space in Bangkok in November to allow Thai creators access to state-of-the-art production facilities . . At the announcement, Mukpim also unveiled a new data plan in partnership with AIS. It will offer unlimited data packs at Bt59 per month for YouTube Go, an app that allows viewers to watch and share YouTube videos even with a slow or non-existent Internet connection.

Finally, Google Thailand announces collaboration with Siam Commercial Bank SMEs need to sign up and be validated for Google My Business, a free business listing on Google Search and Google Maps, by Google. intermediary of SCB staff who will visit SMEs in their stores.

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