dtac story

How to Maximize Capabilities of Mobility Data: Case Studies of Samut Songkhram and Phatthalung Provinces

Data has massive value today, but what is also important is the tool to simplify and understand data. Aware of this fact, dtac has decided to partner with the Chulalongkorn University’s (CU) Faculty of Architecture and Boonmee Lab in developing Mobility Data Dashboard as a platform for interested groups to explore more about domestic tourists’ behaviors. dtacblog recently sat down with Asst. Prof. Dr. Nattapong Punnoi, a key man behind the Mobility Data Dashboard. While he is a full-time lecturer at the faculty’s Department of Urban & Regional Planning, he also heads the “Project to Study Thai Tourists’ Mobility and Concentration during COVID-19 Situation”. According to him, Mobility Data Dashboardprovides insight on tourism data at three levels: Cluster level: The dashboard shows secondary-city clusters to guide each secondary city about which neighboring provinces it should partner with and develop tour routes and tourism activities that best suit tourists’ behaviors. Generally, tourists visit several provinces in the same trip. Central government agencies thus should use the cluster-level information to boost the efficiency of tourism-campaign designs. Provincial level: This provides insights on provincial tourism trends, including the profiles of its inbound and outbound tourists. The profiles specify gender, age, and hometown of…

Meet the two finalist teams from the “Battle for Better” inter-school debate competitions

The “Battle for Better” #BraveAgainstCyberbullying debate tournament, which was the collaboration between dtac and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), has already concluded. Hailing from the private sector, dtac has supported the competition in the Month of Youth under the “BKK Rangers: Children for Better Urban Changes” theme. The last round of the debate pitched the Matthayom Prachanitwet School’s team against the Wat Pak Bor School’s team, where the former emerged as winners. dtacblog sat down with the two finalist teams to dive into the behind the scenes and how they got themselves prepared for the competition. From the Matthayom Prachanitwet School are Juthawat Bintasurasee, Piyapat Niyomsit, Ailada Khumtrakul, and their mentor and teacher Tanawit Saengnarin. The counterparts from the Wat Pak Bor School team are Sasiwan Suaipring, Kawin Changkham, Thanakorn Pimpho, and their teacher-mentor Darat Chukong. First Time Joining Debate Competition “All my team members are interested in public speaking, and we were quick to apply upon hearing about the debate competition. But the path to the contest was not rosy. More than 10 students in our school submitted their application for the competition. So, we all had to go through some internal selection process,” Juthawat from the Matthayom Prachanitwet…

“Always Do the Right Thing”: dtac’s Anti-Corruption Policy in Focus

Today's world is faced with challenges that are complex and difficult to solve, many of which are interconnected and undermining security, prosperity, and social resilience. Ranking among these challenges is corruption, which in the long run weakens social and economic wellbeing, democracy, and the rule of law. To raise awareness of corruption and enlist public support in the battle against corruption, the United Nations (UN) has designated December 9 as International Anti-Corruption Day. Thailand’s corruption has worsened in the past years. According to a report by Transparency International (TI), in 2021, the country ranked 110th out of 180 countries on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) — falling six spots down the global rankings since 2020. The report also pointed out that cooperation between political bodies and the private sector is the key to combating corruption. dtacblog spoke to Stephen Helwig, Interim Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of dtac, to find out more about the mobile operator’s best practices in preventing corrupt practices and fostering an anti-corruption culture. Do the Right Thing and Be Respectful “At dtac, we always encourage our people to do the right thing and show mutual respect,” Mr. Helwig said. “As a result, we conduct our businesses and…

How Digital Skills Help a Formerly Incarcerated Mom Launch a Successful Business

“Take nothing, get nothing, but bear the brunt” is a common Thai saying. It refers to situations in which people receive no benefits from their involvement, but instead suffer all the negative consequences. This saying perfectly encapsulates what happened to Suwimon “Dear” Suk-udomchokechai. An Accidental Criminal A few years ago, Ms. Suwimon worked as a teacher at a small primary school. But when the accountant resigned, certain school executives requested her to take on accounting duties on top of her teaching load, and she agreed. She certified certain key documents as part of her new role. But due to her implicit trust in the school executives, as well as her fledgling accounting knowledge, Ms. Suwimon soon unwittingly became party to corrupt dealings. Irregularities in the school’s accounting papers began to surface in late 2016. A probe identified Ms. Suwimon as the person who certified the documents under investigation. She was charged with embezzlement and was convicted in February 2019. Her sentence could have been as long as 48 years, but being a first-time offender who confessed to her accidental crimes, she was sentenced 20 years – a daunting prospect nonetheless. To make matters worse, during her admission to the Central…

Citizen Developers Program: dtac’s key to a successful digital transformation and future-proof workforce

18 November 2022 - In the past five years, digital transformation has become a top agenda item at many organizations. The Covid-19 pandemic became a test on resilience and ability to transform in order to thrive in the digital battleground. The same is true for dtac, which has embarked on a full digital transformation journey since 2020. Raewat Tankittikorn, dtac’s head of Channel Excellence, said that dtac’s digital transformation efforts began with simplification and modernization, which required the organization to rethink its strategies, systems, and service-delivery methods. For customers, this means the in-store experience is continually improved with digitization. For example, today dtac shops are completely paperless, while the experiences on digital channels, such as dtac app and dtac One (app for retailers), are becoming more effective and seamless. Curbing Disruption Impacts “Over the past few years, the pandemic had forced temporary shop closures and reduced hours. Many dtac employees shifted to working from home,” Mr. Raewat said. “Thanks to our full-fledged digital transformation strategy, we were able to handle the situation well and successfully curbed impacts from disruptions, changing consumer behaviors, and natural disasters.” dtac has integrated artificial intelligence (AI) into its work process in the past two years…

Look into Frontliners’ Lives: How dtac Engineers Work Behind the Scenes during Flood Crisis

Floods have been raging in Thailand’s Central region for nearly two months now. According to the National Water Command, accumulated rainfall has been 21 per cent higher than average during the period because of three storms: Mulan, Ma-On and Noru, plus low-pressure ridges. As the Chao Phraya River overflows, run-offs spread through its western fields to Chainat, Sing Buri, Angthong and Ayutthaya alike. Kanokporn Thongprasert, a 56-year-old villager in Ayutthaya’s Paniad Klong Chang Community, told dtacblog that even though her community had been inundated every year, this time floods were more serious – even when compared with 2011 big floods. Now, floodwaters are about two metersdeep. In other words, the first floor of her house is completely swamped. Worse still, in previous years inundation used to subside within weeks. But this year, floods have persisted for about two months already.“Floods are quite common in Ayutthaya. But during the past two years, floods have become a real crisis because the floodwater level is higher and floods drag on longer,” Kanokporn lamented. In the face of severer flooding, Kanokporn has lost her income. She usually works at Klang Klong Sa Bua Temple, which has received fewer financial donations lately. Monks cannot go…

How one former prisoner is changing lives with her online bakery

We have all made mistakes. But some of us have made mistakes so serious and irreversible that they have deprived us of future opportunities. Chon Buri native Sansanee Tanakarnkowit made one such mistake when, 12 years ago, she got involved with drugs. At the tender age of 20, she started working at nightclubs. Due to the nature of her profession, she spent lots of time with friends and partied wildly every night. One night, a friend invited her to do “something fun”. She agreed and tried narcotics for the first time. Within four years, Ms. Sansanee became heavily addicted and began selling drugs to her friends. Eventually she was arrested and sentenced to two years in jail. Losing Freedom Twice As a person who thrived on city living and the company of friends, Ms. Sansanee became desperately lonely in prison. “Life behind bars was very difficult for me especially during the first few weeks. I had to adjust a lot. The prison was crowded. The bathroom was an open-plan with no privacy. I was stressed out and experiencing withdrawal symptoms. I even collapsed at one point,” she recalls. “But after a few months, I finally settled into a routine. I…

How Thailand’s casual gaming landscape gets a boost from dtac’s Gaming Nation

In June 2021, dtac launched a gaming initiative as part of its “Beyond Mobile Connectivity” strategy, which aims to build a comprehensive digital ecosystem and transform the dtac app into a super-app. Gaming Nation, dtac’s mobile platform designed for all gamers, has been the key component of this gaming initiative, and a pioneer in Thailand’s growing casual gaming landscape. dtacblog spoke to dtac’s Head of Digital Product (Gaming) Patchara Vanthongkam, whose team is responsible for Gaming Nation, about Thailand’s gaming habits and the role that Gaming Nation plays in industry growth. The Rise of Mobile Gaming A gaming enthusiast himself who has worked with big-name game developers in the region, Mr. Patchara understands the potential of the gaming industry in Thailand. “About 32 million Thais – almost half of the population – play games. Overall, this market is worth around 30-40 billion baht,” he said. “And though the growth rate has not been very high in the past few years, the gaming market continues to grow steadily thanks to mobile games.” The continued growth of Thailand’s gaming industry is spurred by several factors. First, with the boom of smartphones, players no longer need dedicated gaming devices in order to play.…

Nice advantages that make you smile from ear to ear when dtac and True merge into Telecom-tech Company

The Telecom-tech Company will be a new company utilizing the synergies from the more than 30 years of telecommunication expertise of dtac and True. This company defines itself as a technology-oriented telecommunication service provider with a mission to satisfy customers with advanced infrastructure, innovation and services towards sustainable growth and cultivation of a solid digital ecosystem. If we are customers of Telecom-tech Company, by being existing customers of dtac or True, what services or care can we expect to receive under Telecom-tech Company? Better, faster network with improved coverage in Thailand. Improved mobile experience with 5G and 4G broadband internet with more efficient services due to merged coverage, and more capacity for the company’s 50 million customers by providing the best access across all provinces in Thailand. With access to True and dtac’s combined infrastructure, customers will get the ultimate mobile experience. More convenience and more service centers and call centers to provide better access for customers There are more service centers to provide better customer support with after-sales services. dtac shops and True shops nationwide will provide customers with a seamless service experience and innovations to enhance customer convenience. Customers can expect nationwide service 24 hours every day. Better…

Mobility data unveils 19 tourism clusters that can attract more tourists to second-tier provinces and reduce economic inequality

In the past four decades, Thailand has been struggling with the challenge of area-based inequalities. Before the Covid-19 crisis, the Thai economy was worth 16.9 trillion baht, but 70 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) came from just 15 provinces, which are those of the Bangkok Metropolitan Area, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chachoengsao, Phuket, Songkhla, Surat Thani, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Khon Kaen, while the rest 62 provinces contributed only 30 percent to GDP. Area-Based Inequalities A deeper analysis of Thailand’s economic drivers reveals that the same 15 provinces have generated 88 per cent of tourism revenue, while the other 62 provinces, also known as second-tier provinces, have contributed just 12 percent of gross tourism revenue. Asst. Prof. Dr. Nattapong Punnoi, a lecturer at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Architecture, said, “Area-based inequalities have prevailed in Thai tourism for a long time. Most tourists choose to visit only major provinces, which led to resource degradation and significant income equality.” According to a report published by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the average length of stay for each domestic trip is 2.5 days, suggesting that Thais usually travel during weekends or…

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