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- Internet Use Thrives on High Oil Prices...
Internet Use Thrives on High Oil Prices...
04/02/2008 - By Bangkok Post, Thailand
www. or gas?
Alarm over oil costs has contributed to increased internet access in Thailand as people try to avoid driving.
The advance of wireless technology enables users to operate free from the restraints of their location and to work from home.
Mobile phones, notebook computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs) are the most popular browsing devices.
Pratthana Leelapanang, assistant vice-president for wireless service marketing of Advanced Info Service (AIS), said mobility was now considered common, rather than a luxury as in the past.
"Advanced wireless technology is changing people's lifestyles, providing greater convenience, reducing the need for work-related moves and saving travelling time," he said.
Technologies such as fixed and wireless broadband internet WiFi and WiMax enable users to access the internet at home, over mobile phone, or through laptops and PDAs.
Thailand had 52 million mobile phone users, or 80 percent of the population, at the end of 2007. The figure is expected to top 90 percent by the end of this year. The overall internet penetration rate is expected to reach 15 percent with a market worth more than 10 billion baht this year, up from 13.7 percent as of the end of last year.
Five to 10 million Thais are expected to be using the internet by 2009, according to the Thailand Internet Service Provider Association (Tispa).
High-speed broadband internet alone is likely to grow by 30 percent to 1.3 million in a market worth five billion baht this year, up from 750,000 last year.
The penetration of broadband would grow substantially, with five to 10 million users by 2009. Dial-up internet demand will continue to decline due to more affordable broadband services.
Mr Pratthana said that up to 30 percent of mobile users in Thailand had high-end handsets with built-in mobile internet connectivity to send and receive data.
More than 100,000 Thais have data air-cards, and the figure is expected to double by the end of this year, fuelled by high demand for mobile internet.
The number of GPRS users in Thailand is expected to reach six million this year, from five million last year.
AIS expected its data revenue to rise to 10 billion baht this year, from eight billion last year.
Internet connectivity over mobile phones and PDAs functions via GPRS and Edge, while net access through laptops operates over WiFi and WiMax.
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