Development and Regulation of Telecommunication in Thailand

Abstract

        The research on “Development and Regulation of Telecommunication in Thailand” aims to (1) study the concepts and theories related to Telecommunications and regulation  including  laws on Telecommunications and regulation in foreign countries, (2) study the revolution of telecommunication and technologies, including the laws of Telecommunications and regulation in Thailand, (3) analysing  the development of Telecommunicatiotns   and regulation in different periods and the legal issues involved in Thailand by comparing them with the laws of foreign countries , (4) propose recommendations for improving the telecommunications laws and regulations in Thailand to make them more suitable.
        This study is the qualitative research in terms of the lawful research. The research methods use the instrument of collecting documents,i.e.  texts books, books, articles, research papers, thesis, independent studies, legal provision, and other Thai and foreign academic papers.  

The results were found that (1) Telecommunications is a public service with high investment in the first period so the stages must be the regulation in terms of the monopoly. Later, internationally, there was a trend towards liberalization  and established various regulations, including licensing operators (2) The evolution of telecommunications in Thailand can be categorized into three periods: from a monopoly era to liberalization, triggered by the economic crisis, and rapidly transitioning into the digital age. Currently, Thailand has regulatory laws similar to other countries, such as laws on frequency spectrum management and telecommunications operations. (3) The rapid advancement of technology has affected the development of telecommunications laws and regulation in each period, from monopoly to liberalization, then the convergence of media, and finally the digital age. However, the regulatory frameworks are not always adaptable to technological changes, and the protection of individual rights has been insufficient. In contrast, the countries studied have managed to keep their regulations up to date with technological advancements. (4) To adapt the telecommunications laws to technological changes, the categorization of telecommunications licenses should be divided into Basic telecommunications, Value-added  telecommunications, and Advanced telecommunications. This would help accommodate emerging services, such as Over-the-Top (OTT) services, and allow for more appropriate regulatory guidelines. Additionally, telecommunications laws should be flexible to respond to digital age developments and future innovations.