Thailand is expected to rank 60th in the global ICT Development Index (IDI) by 2017, helped by the expansion of fourth-generation (4G) wireless broadband infrastructure and development of the digital economy.
The country is ranked 74th out of 167 countries this year, up from 81st last year, according to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
South Korea ranked first in the global IDI, followed by Denmark and Iceland, according to an annual report from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) entitled "Measuring the Information Society".
The ITU is widely recognised as the repository for the world's most reliable and impartial global data and analyses on the state of global ICT development.
The specialised UN agency compiles the IDI based on 11 internationally agreed ICT indicators grouped in three clusters -- access, use and skills.
This makes it a valuable tool for benchmarking the most important indicators for measuring the information society.
"Having 4G service at affordable prices for the mass market will be a major factor in narrowing the digital divide and lifting the country's competitiveness," said Col Settapong Malisuwan, vice-chairman of the NBTC.
He called a high-speed wireless broadband network the most important telecommunications infrastructure for accommodating rapid growth in data demand, making an undeniable impact on social and economic development.
"We strongly believe our IDI ranking for Thailand will improve to 60th by 2017, based on the fact that the 3G mobile network roll-out in 2012 resulted in a significant improvement in the ranking, to 81st in 2014 from 92nd in 2010," Col Settapong said.
"Thailand's IDI ranking will be No.2 in Asean by 2017, behind only Singapore."
The NBTC sold three three licences on the 2100-megahertz spectrum in 2012, for a combined 45 MHz of bandwidth.
Col Settapong said the ITU report identified Thailand as one of a group of "most dynamic countries" that recorded above-average improvements in their IDI ranking over the past five years.
Other most dynamic countries (in order of greatest change in IDI ranking) included Costa Rica, Bahrain, Lebanon, Ghana, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Suriname, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Oman.
"Thailand was the most dynamic country in Asia-Pacific, showing the greatest change in IDI ranking in the region, supported mainly by improvement in wireless broadband penetration," Col Settapong said.
He said the IDI not only reflected development of a country's infrastructure and ICT use but also represented a major factor attracting investment from international businesses including more global tech companies.
The NBTC expects massive migration to 4G networks by 3G users next year amid intense competition among the winners of the 1800-MHz spectrum auctions.
"The number of 4G subscribers on the 1800-MHz networks is expected to reach 20 million in 2016," Col Settapong said.