dtac story

This startup fights for fun and meaningful learning experiences in Thailand

The outbreak of Covid-19 was a turning point for Thai education. When schools closed and shifted to online classes, a lack of digital tools and skills, as well as outdated curricula, were laid bare. dtacblog spoke to Chalipa Dulyakorn of INSKRU, the education startup and a partner of dtac’s Safe Internet project, to understand how tomorrow’s classrooms can be redesigned to build digital resilience among children and youth. Create safe spaces in school INSKRU has made learning more enjoyable for over two million students. In 2018, it reached the final round of dtac Plikthai, a platform to crowd-source socially conscious initiatives. It received the funding of 100,000 baht and was connected by dtac to a group of experts. Ms. Chalipa then used the money for creative workshops with teachers, which turned out a success. Not long after, INSKRU was chosen as a partner of dtac Safe Internet, whose ambition is to foster digital resilience in children and youth by joining forces with students, teachers, parents, and both private and public sectors. dtac leverages INSKRU’s expertise and their community of 200,000 teachers, who play a vital role in redesigning learning process and act as guardians in school. “dtac has set a…

dtac breaks isolation of village in Lampang

Lack of connectivity in Ban Mai Samakki Village became unbearable with COVID-19. Then dtac stepped in. The Ban Mai Samakki community was established in 2003 in Thailand’s Northern province of Lampang. But until September 2021, it had neither landline nor cell phone coverage. As COVID-19 accelerated digital transformation in Thailand, the community’s lack of connectivity turned into a full-blown crisis. With schools closed, children walked two kilometers every day to catch the nearest mobile signal and connect with their teachers online. The threat of being unable to make an emergency call without making a 40-min hike also became increasingly risky in the midst of a pandemic. Supud Rala, is the village headman of Ban Mai Samakki, a community of 495 persons, most of them maize farmers. “We sell our crops while raising chicken and pigs for our own consumption. Women also make additional income from handcrafted bags, scarves, and skirts. All our water comes from the river, wells and rainwater. We didn’t even have electricity until 2016,” he said. Communication is a key issue in this community, rendering it virtually cut off from the outside world. The closest mobile phone signal can be found on a ridge about 2 km…

Chiang Mai woman goes mobile and digital to live independently in her senior years

According to the National Statistical Office of Thailand, there are about 13 million elderly in Thailand (aged over 60), one-third of whom live alone or with their senior partners. Without adequate social safety nets, this could impact their livelihood and poses social and economic challenges to the country as it is stepping into a ‘super aged[1]’ society in the next decade. Aging Alone In Chiang Mai’s Saraphi district, hundreds of elders live alone. They have been abandoned by their family or don’t receive adequate care. Local administrative bodies, foundations, and the civil society have stepped in to offer support in various forms. One of them is Kunyasa Chaikularb, a former social worker from Chiang Rai. Ms. Kunyasa moved to Chiang Mai two decades ago to start her social work career at a foundation whose aim was to improve livelihood of children orphaned by HIV and AIDS. Later she received funding from foreigners who wanted to help out people with physical disabilities and the elderly who live alone and need support. “I started working to support unaccompanied seniors after I witnessed these problems myself. Many older people spend their final years as a worker at longan plantations, earning a daily wage…

This 40-year-old runs a debt-free agricultural farm and pays herself bonuses every quarter

In 2020, it was estimated that each farmer household had a debt of about 225,000 baht in average. The Office of Agricultural Economics also forecasted that the COVID-19 crisis will lead to an increase of debts of each farmer household by 16 percent this year. dtacblog spoke to Tewarak “Fonghwin” Nimcharoen, a 40-year-old farmer who joined dtac Net for Living and learned to use connectivity to grow more resilient income streams for herself. Not only she is now totally debt-free, but she can also pay herself quarterly and biannual bonuses. She also makes sure to share her knowledge with her fellow farmers. The Ban Nee Mee Rak Happy Farm is located in Chachoengsao’s Bang Khla district, to the east of Bangkok. Secret Recipe “I used to be an office worker, working as a manager at a petrol station. But at the age of 25, my father fell ill. So I had to give up my job and came back to my hometown,” Ms. Tewarak said. “I had to take over the farm that my father owned and started with almost zero knowledge.” During the first five years, her father acted as a coach, passing whatever knowledge he had to his…

Building the future of manufacturing with tools powered by 5G networks

The strategic partnership between dtac and Norway-based telco group Telenor allows the Thai mobile operator to connect with 5G experts globally. While dtac is an early mover in harnessing the capabilities of 5G, Telenor Sweden is another beacon of innovation in 5G within the Telenor family. They partnered with Ericsson and supplied a solution to Atlas Copco to explore the potential of power tools connected to a private 5G network. The project runs on 3500 MHz and is an exciting addition to Telenor Sweden’s commercial 5G, which is already available in 36 locations. To better understand its ability to transform manufacturing and connectivity, dtac blog spoke to Andreas Kristensson, Head of IoT and New Business at Telenor Sweden. “We know that private networks are essential to Industry 4.0,” he said. “Connected power tools require very low and highly predictable latencies. Hence, Telenor Sweden’s installation at Atlas Copco is a great use case to test the benefits of a dedicated LTE and 5G Network. And we plan to add lots of other equipment over time.” The project is truly a meeting of greats. The Telenor Group has 169 million customers globally and leads the pan-European 5G Verticals Innovation Infrastructure (5G VINNI)…

e-sports team dtac Talon puts Thailand in global spotlight

Thai e-sports team dtac Talon made history this July by winning the AWC: Arena of Valor World Cup 2021 without a single loss throughout the tournament. AoV: Arena of Valor is widely known in Thailand as RoV and AWC is the ultimate competition for this multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA). The prize pool was half a million dollars, with dtac Talon snatching the top prize of 200,000 dollars. dtac Talon is the result of partnership between the mobile operator dtac and Talon Esports, an esports organization headquartered in Hong Kong. It was founded in 2017 by a group of gaming enthusiasts and is now one of the fastest growing esports organizations in the Asia-Pacific. dtacblog spoke with the team and their dtac sponsors about their success and next goals in esports tournaments. “We underwent extensive training with a very strict schedule - at least 10 hours a day and six days a week. That’s what brought us to where we are today,” said Thana ‘NTNz’ Somboonprom, the newest member of dtac Talon. “Our motto is ‘Aiming High, Flying High.’ All team members set a clear goal that we would be world champions,” added Pasu ‘Erez’ Yensabai. Professional Players Mr. Pasu…

Meet the people behind dtac’s support for the vaccination rollout

The COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand is again at its peak, with the number of daily new infections regularly breaking new records. The major challenge for Thailand is thus to achieve herd immunity with a mass vaccination campaign. The Bang Sue Grand Station is the biggest vaccination center in Thailand. Operating under the Medical Services Department’s supervision, the vaccination center opened on May 24, 2021, for trials and began welcoming the public on June 7. The Central Vaccination Center has so far administered about 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. dtac joined hands with other mobile operators, AIS, True and NT, in supporting the government’s mass vaccination campaign at the Bang Sue Grand Central Station, by supporting vaccination registrations and welcoming customers on-site, as per the process laid out by the health authorities. dtac opened its first round of registration to customers on May 27 on www.dtac.co.th and the dtac app. The platforms were well received, with users describing them as stable and friendly. To understand what happened next, dtacblog spoke with Sureerat Suwathawornsakul, who leads of dtac’s vaccination project. She shared the challenges the team encountered and the inspiration behind this mission to support Thailand’s fight against COVID-19. Supporting Thailand’s…

Check out these dtac employees sharing how teaching their moms a few digital skills brought them newfound joy

dtac employees share how teaching their moms a few digital skills brought them newfound joy. With restrictions on regional travel and the risk of spreading Covid-19, mobile connectivity is fast becoming the only way to reach loved ones. This Mother’s Day, families that would have once gathered for the special occasion may once again have to rely on a video call. However, younger generations aren’t the only ones who can enjoy a world of digital services beyond just making calls. dtacblog spoke to dtac employees who recently taught their senior moms new tricks to get more out of their smartphones. While it is critical to Thailand’s recovery and business operations, connectivity also enables people of all ages to access essential services like banking and online learning and empower them to live the life they truly want. And with dtac’s fast-growing 4G/5G network, it’s never been easier for our parents to get a reliable connection—no matter where they live. Pen Junmanee lives with her mother-in-law who adores music from her youth. The family bought her a smartphone and introduced her to Youtube. “My mother-in-law just turned 80 years old this year. She has been using an old phone with buttons, so we…

The Top Business Competition That’s as Tough as a Triathlon

A triathlon combines long-distance running, cycling, and swimming. To complete these grueling races, athletes must possess physical prowess, but also mental resilience and a fighter’s spirit. Doing business in the COVID-19 era can feel just as tough, especially with the pandemic significantly accelerating digital transformation. And only entrepreneurs with the resilience of a triathlete will be able to stay in the race.The Business Triathlon (Biz Tri) is therefore aptly named. It simulates a competitive business environment based on real-life corporate challenges for university students in Thailand. Contestants must demonstrate deep insight, strategic marketing capabilities and a capacity for digital innovation. And over 42 days, they must formulate a strategy for a digital business that will impress the judges.The Sasin School of Management (of the Chulalongkorn University) pioneered this competition in Thailand, with dtac, Lotus, and Tyson Foods as sponsors for the third edition. Digital Racers “dtac’s big strength is that it has over 19 million customers. Our challenge to contestants is to find how can dtac leverage the relationship with its individual customers to capture emerging customers’ needs. This can solve customer pain points and allow dtac to grow its revenue from new services beyond core connectivity, such as voice…

dtac and BBtec’s joint goal to lift health and safety standards

The COVID-19 outbreak has put unprecedented pressure on global supply chains while also increasing the need for mobile connectivity. For dtac, the challenge is thus to guarantee the health and safety of its network operations teams while accelerating its network rollout. At the end of Q2’21, approximately 9,100 nodes of 700 MHz were installed, and dtac will continue to expand 5G capability to more sites in high-traffic areas. An operation of this size requires vendors and partners, which all need to agree to dtac’s strict safety measures and human rights standards for all workers in its supply chain. One of them is BB Technology Company Limited (BBtec), an integrated telecom operator in the Benchachinda Group, who has been providing cell site installation and maintenance services for dtac for more than ten years. The firm’s services include consulting, survey, design, system analysis and development, base-station construction, installations of fiber optic, exchange network infrastructure, system installations, supervision and network-system maintenance. “Signal tower construction and network-systems installations are complicated. Think of it as building a house, with several contractors for the foundation, roof, electrical systems, water system, and so on. If just one of these contractors isn’t up to standard, the whole project…

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