By strategically linking to IT 2010 and the Ninth National Economics and Social Development Plan, the ICT Master Plan provides guidelines for the country to reap the benefits of Information and Communication Technology in order to strengthen the nation’s competitiveness as well as to enhance the quality of life of the citizens.

The National ICT Master Plan envisions Thailand to become the regional center for ICT development and business, in particular for software technology. Besides, it aims to provide entrepreneurs and citizens with equitable access to information. Direct benefits of ICT are manifested throughout the Thai economy, adding value to products and services of every sector, including ICT sector, as well as strengthening their competitiveness in the global market. ICT becomes instrumental in the enhancement of Thai quality of life as country moves towards a Knowledge-based Society.

The National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC), the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology have joined a project to develop national ICT indicators which aimed at collecting statistics and data necessary for analysis of the nation’s ICT situation.

In the second series of ICT indicators, NECTEC conducts an online survey of the Internet users on an annual basis to study their profiles. The questionnaire is posted on NECTEC web site and at least five more popular ones around September-October each year. The number of respondents has been increasing every year, up to more than 15,000 for the past two years.