Thailand was an early participant in bringing the Internet to Asia, and
it has a fascinating, but little-known, networking history. The grassroots
efforts by a few dedicated and visionary university professors have
resulted in a fully functional national network, despite the limited infrastructure
and numerous technical obstacles of the early days.
In fact, networking in Thailand began when virtually nothing existed
in the country to establish a viable computer network. Telephone density
was low, technical knowledge was scarce, and computers were expensive.
However, some Thai engineers managed to create the academic
network with a small budget and some technical assistance from Australia.
Beginning with a UUCP connection and X.25 in 1987, the Thai academic
network gradually transitioned to full TCP/IP in 1992. Boosted by the strong
economic growth of the early ’90s, collaboration occurred with the private
sector and was augmented by international financial support. The use of
the Internet in Thailand is now highly valued, especially by the younger
generation. Currently, the Internet is not only a significant tool for information
sharing among academics and students, but also an alternative media
and a new business opportunity for Thais.
The state of academic networking in Thailand has grown significantly,
reaching almost every university and research institution in the country.
Many Thai schools and universities are using the Internet and its applications
in their curricula. The government is planning to invest more in
Information Technology (IT) and human resources by improving the
telecommunications infrastructure and providing more education. As of this
writing, Thailand has 16 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) operating
nationwide with a combined leased line capacity above 30Mbps.National Science Foundation under Grant No. NCR-961657
