dtac Responsible Business

dtac Think Hai d and SMART Aim to Meet Zero Landfill Target By Safely Recycling e-Waste from Residential Properties

With 20.9 million smartphones sold during the COVID-19 pandemic, dtac aims to reduce e-waste by 2% by increasing home collection efforts 17 March 2022 – The COVID-19 pandemic fueled household demand for electronic devices such as PCs, tablets, and mobile phones. The new normal of online schooling and work-from-home have resulted in each individual using an average of five electronic devices. Of the 142 million subscribed phone numbers in Thailand, 45 million are used on IT equipment and 97 million on smartphones. To address the rise in resulting e-waste, dtac Think Hai d is collaborating with SMART – a property management company currently serving over 300 properties Bangkok – on the SMART “A Love to Give” campaign. The campaign aims to collect all types of e-waste, including discarded phones and accessories to be properly recycled, as part of its efforts to meet the Zero Landfill target. Mr. Sharad Mehrotra, Chief Executive Officer, Total Access Communication PLC, or dtac, said, “dtac has set a target to properly dispose of e-waste – mobile phones and accessories – which results from our telecom operations. I would like to invite all residents to dispose of their e-waste with dtac. You can be assured that…

dtac collaborates with Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and National Association of the Deaf in Thailand to Launch Inclusive Services for Persons with Disabilities

Mar 15, 2022 - Continuing its mission of digital inclusion, dtac today launches a series of initiatives for persons with disabilities, so that more people can access the benefits of the digital world. Under the concept of Go Beyond (Dis) abilities into possibilities together, dtac collaborates with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and the National Association of the Deaf in Thailand (NADT), to roll out data packages, trainings, and support services that help ensure more equal access to digital connectivity. Watch the Online video Go Beyond (Dis) abilities into possibilities together dtac’s first initiative involves thoughtfully designed mobile packages for persons with disabilities and their caregivers. Based on dtac insights, hearing impaired users rely heavily on the internet and data plans to connect with others, be it through video calls, messaging applications, or social media platforms. These new packages are aimed at better serving their needs at affordable price points. For instance, customers who purchase the 99 baht pack receive 4G of data, while the 249 baht pack provides unlimited data at a speed of 4 Mbps. In addition, dtac also extends a 15% discount for dtac dSurance. For its second initiative, dtac Net for Living (ดีแทค เน็ตทำกิน) has partnered with…

Hilltribe craftswoman turns social commerce pro

This hilltribe entrepreneur’s online marketing skills helped revive her community’s ancient crafts and send her kids to school. Every year, the Lahu, a hilltribe of Northern Thailand, gather at a village square in meticulously embroidered clothes and intricate ornaments to celebrate their new year festival, Kin Wo. They also carry bags featuring intricate embroidery, brightly colored pom-poms and stylized bottle gourds, which are symbols of prosperity and abundance. “These bags have been closely associated with the Lahu. Initially, they were created for household use. When local women did not toil in the fields, they spent their free time during a dry season weaving and making bags, similar to Isan’s traditional weaving culture.” Benjalak Jahae, a member of the Red Lahu tribe in Ban Pang Makham Pom, a small village located in Chiang Mai, told dtacblog. She is also a Lahu totebag maker, who participated in dtac Net for Living’s digital upskilling program. The Cycle of Uncertainty In the old days, most hilltribe villagers in the North were farmers. They grew rice, corn, and vegetables. Some raised livestock and foraged food from the forests. However, in the face of growing urbanization and volatile crop prices, many of them decided to head…

Ministry of Industry and dtac to revitalize tourism and rural entrepreneurs of 152 Creative Industry Villages

https://youtu.be/cArjGzJii-U February 7, 2022 – The Ministry of Industry and dtac today signed a memorandum of understanding for 152 communities to harness cultural tourism and digital technology to lift individual incomes and local economies. The program, dubbed Creative Industry Village, is expected to last two years and generate 250 million baht in revenue. dtac is supporting the initiative with digital training under the dtac Net for Living program. Rural entrepreneurs will be equipped with online marketing skills, such as product photography and social commerce, to grow new income streams. dtac is also expanding its network of 700 MHz to the targeted villages, ensuring they have suitable voice and data services. Thirdly, dtac will promote the villages’ entrepreneurs to its 19 million customers through its dtac reward program. Under the public-private partnership, the Ministry of Industry expects to increase the number of tourists to rural destinations by 68 percent and boost sales of locally-made products by 76 percent. Ms. Warawan Chitaroon, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Industry Ministry, said “The government realizes the important role of villages to the national economy. The Ministry of Industry plans to promote 152 potential villages under the Creative Industry Village or CIV scheme in an…

dtac’s Green Transition Harnesses Sunlight for Mobile Communications

In 2021, dtac announced the goal of reducing by 50 percent its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. One of the key strategies in pursuit of this goal is to achieve energy efficiency through a transition to clean energy. According to dtac’s data, its provision of network services has accounted for more than 99 percent of its energy consumption. Its network includes tens of thousands of cell sites across Thailand. So, for greenhouse gas emissions reductions, dtac has prioritized its shift towards solar powered cell sites. dtacblog spoke to Weratuch Witoonchart, Head of Data Analytics, and Chumnan Theamnooch from the Coverage and Infrastructure Planning team, who are spearheading this transition. Solar Powered Network Mr. Chumnan revealed that dtac has operated solar-powered cell sites for more than 10 years already but most of these sites were located in areas without electricity. In recent years, dtac’s focus on energy efficiency has grown significantly to pursue environmental goals. Hence, there is renewed interest in renewable energy solutions. To overcome the challenges they pose in terms of investments and engineering, Mr. Chumnan with dtac’s data-analytics team to design the best possible strategy for dtac’s green transition. “Speaking of engineering, every solar-powered cell site needs a…

This small village in northern Thailand uses online marketing to fight off drug problems

Each year in January in Ban Nong Khiao, located in Chiang Mai, next to the Thai-Myanmar border, hundreds of villagers don meticulously embroidered clothes and intricate ornaments. They gather at the village square to celebrate the Lahu New Year festival for 12 consecutive days. The Lahu people, also known as the Muser hill tribe, perform a dance called Cha Kue to express gratitude to their deities and eat Khao Puk, steamed black sticky rice mixed with sesame.Unfortunately, the Lahu community often faces poverty and exposure to drug traffickers who must cross the borders they occupy. Ban Nong Khiao is therefore considered one of Thailand’s red zones for drug trafficking. Complex Social Problems “Ninety five percent of the people here are farmers, but because of plunging crop prices and rising farming expenses, they face insecure livelihoods and unstable income,” Marisa Jitbunpot, officer at Plan International Thailand, said.Due to financial struggles, many Lahu men are induced into joining drug-trafficking gangs while many women fall victim of human trafficking. “When considering the overall picture, it became clear that improving the quality of life of the villagers is only possible if people are empowered to stand on their own feet,” Ms. Marisa explained. “Through…

The long road to zero-carbon phone calls

dtac’s Head of Technology Strategy calls for innovation in data, energy tech and policy to reach telecoms industry climate goals. After 13 days of intense negotiations, COP26 UN Climate Change Conference concluded on November 13 with almost 200 countries agreeing on the Glasgow Climate Pact. The declaration significantly ramps up the call for greater action and financing for adaptation to pursue efforts to stay within 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming by 2050. In parallel, the GSMA board, on which sits the largest mobile network operators in the world, set a milestone to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. To reach that objective, dtac has set its own goal of halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. dtacblog spoke to Navneet Nayan, Head of Technology Strategy & Service Management at dtac to better understand what it will take for dtac to reach its targets, and how the telecoms industry can rethink operations for resilience and sustainability. Everyone is an Emitter Telcos are energy intensive, with two to three percent of global consumption, according to GSMA. The mobile industry is therefore a relatively small, but growing, contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. End users consume about half of that energy with…

dtac Net for Living and Painterbell Team up to Celebrate 50+ Creative Entrepreneurs Going Digital for the First Time

21 December 2021 – dtac synergized with artist Painterbell to create lively caricatures and celebrate 14 brands founded by older entrepreneurs across Thailand. These entrepreneurs were digitally upskilled and coached to retail online by the dtac Net for Living program as part of the “Coaching Mission for 50+ Entrepreneurs” campaign. The campaign helped older entrepreneurs move their small businesses to social media and inspire digital audiences through their amazing products. Selected products from this campaign are now available as New Year gifts via the #ShopforSmile campaign. Users can browse these gift ideas any time, any day on the dtac Net for Living Facebook page. dtac Gift Guide: 14 Exciting Thai Brands Making Local Delectable Foods and Creative Wares Tote bags by YaiSiri are a fusion of traditional Thai craft, local fabrics, and contemporary cuts, decorated with festive motifs of the Christmas and New Year season. The brand is the brainchild of Archarn Nong – Siripati Phumchan – who branched out into online retailing at the age of 52. Apart from their attractive look and heartwarming story, another reason to love YaiSiri products is that they are designed for accessibility, with blind people especially in mind. The brand also offers a…

Thailand’s Most Instagram-able Fishing Village Goes Digital

Samaesan is a picturesque seaside village almost halfway between Bangkok and Thailand’s frontier with Cambodia. Its score of long piers is sheltered behind a sprinkling of verdant islands, allowing for particularly calm and crystalline waters. This ideal location has long attracted vibrantly colored fishing boats, which will drop off the night’s catch at daybreak for eager buyers to haggle over. But behind the postcard appearances, Samaesan’s fishing crews also face many challenges such as stringent export regulations and a scarcity of labor. A few enterprising locals thus turned to hosting the occasional diving and fishing trips to supplement their incomes. But it wasn’t until the eruption of social media that Samaesan started to take off as a hotspot for nature-starve Bangkokians. Instrumental to this transformation is Umnat Chuanak. Although born in Samaesan, Mr. Umnat worked for 15 years as an engineer before fully committing himself to running a homestay, Yaya Malee Resort & Snorkeling. “I always loved to come home. Even when I was an engineer, I’d come back here between jobs. But I thought that even if I ever got to realize my dream of having a homestay here, it would just be four rooms for friends,” he told…

Thai social enterprise wants elderly to go digital

Thailand has become a full-fledged aging society since 2021. Its elderly population (those over 60 years old) now accounts for about 20 percent of the total population, and that number is expected to rise to more than one third or about 20 million people. To better understand the so-called “silver tsunami,” dtacblog spoke to Thanakorn Phromyos, CEO and Co-founder of YoungHappy, a social enterprise that works to promote active aging and is a partner of dtac. He shared with us his inspiration in starting the social enterprise and the ambition to help seniors stay engaged, active and happy. Social Enterprise As an only child, Mr. Thanakorn, a graduate in aerospace engineering, wanted to become financially successful in order to take good care of his parents. But after his father retired, he started noticing that his father grew much older and started losing pride in himself. This, combined with his keen interest in solving social issues, inspired him to begin his journey as a social entrepreneur. “I’m always interested in finding solutions to social and environment issues, and I have participated in several volunteer programs,” he said. “One day I came across this book by Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi banker and…

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