top of page

Reminiscing The Thai Swedish Networking Forum 2002 - Past Events and Future Steps to Bridge the Digital Divide

2023_Website_NewsUpdates Thumbnails (3).png

10 Oct 2024

[Article from STEP Magazine Vol. 11/No. 2, April 2002] 


Mobile phones, and increasingly personal digital assistants (PDA's), are common tools in today's wireless society. 


 But can they, and the supporting technologies and know-how that makes it all work in a seamless network, be part in the ongoing effort to bridge the digital divide here and elsewhere? 


Yes, replied Swedish and Thai experts from industry, government and education. that gathered under the theme "Bridging the digital divide in society", at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center on March 5 for a full day of speeches and discussions. 


All the “right” people from wireless and IT Thailand showed up at the well-visited event organized by the Embassy of Sweden, Nectec, NSTDA and the Swedish Trade Council in co-operation with the Thai-Swedish Chamber of Commerce 


Keynote-speakers Prof. Dr. Pairash Thajchayapong. President NSTDA and Mr. Jan Lindgren. Vice President - Mobile Internet Solution, Ericsson Internet Application AB. set the tone by outlining the status of fixed and wireless internet implementation in Thailand and how the wireless industry worldwide is recovering after the many severe dot.com company crashes between 1999 and last year. 


After them followed a range of presentations showing real cases in govern-ment, city administration, entertainment, education and how it all is financed. 


Moderators Ms. Anita Jonsson, Director IT & Telecom, Swedish Trade Council and Rear Admiral Prasart Sribhadung, Associate Dean, Graduate School of Inicenct und E-Commerce, ABAC, kept the discussion active and focused during the day which ended with a panel discussion and a lucky draw of two GPRS enabled hand phones sponsored by Ericsson. 


After the Ambassador's, HE Mr. Jan Nordlander, welcome address, Ms. Gun Eriksson, State Secretary, Ministry of In-dustry. Employment and Communica-tions. Sweden made some opening remarks together with Mr. Chatree Chueyprasit. Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of science, Technology and Environment.  


"The IT Networking Forum will be followed up by the organising partners in different ways. One idea is to arrange more in-depth seminars covering perhaps one or two of the e-topics now covered more in general during the Networking Forum." says Mr. Bengt G Carlsson, Economic & Commercial Counsellor, Swedish Embassy.   


There is scope for cooperation on IT issues between the City Administrations of Bangkok and Stockholm respectively. Some sort of twinning arrangement is one of the options that will be looked into. 


"One event/visit already being scheduled in the IT-field, partly as a result of the Forum, is the visit of an IT-delegation organised by the Swedish-Thai Chamber of Commerce (STCC), located in the province of Jämtland. This delegation will be in Thailand 28 April - 5 May and conduct meetings and seminars both in Bangkok and Khon Kaen," concludes Mr. Carisson. 

 

bottom of page