In conversation with
Mr. Ravi Bhatia

FDI Spotlight: What is the DNA of Suvitech?

Mr. Subin Bhatia: At Suvitech we aim to offer the right ICT solution for the right problem at the right price. Providing the most appropriate solution is our priority, therefore we invest a lot of time and effort in understanding the problems of our clients. We want to be a trusted partner in the ICT industry. As a result of our expertise and passion, we have established long term partnerships with our customers.

Can Thailand become more competitive regionally and globally?

Mr. Subin Bhatia: Now yes. Since Suvitech was founded 14 years ago, we have seen the Government making a lot of progress in supporting the ICT sector. A challenge at the moment for the ICT sector is the human resource pool. I don’t think Thailand has less ICT students than other countries in the region, however the challenge here lies in producing the right quality of graduate to join the work force. One of these issues is the comparatively poor level of English amongst Thai graduates against Malaysian, Singaporean and the Philippines. This weakness in English lowers the potential of Thai companies to be more competitive abroad. Our philosophy for the IT sector in Thailand is based on building long lasting relationships with local key players in the IT sector. By providing the necessary digital infrastructure for our clients expansion, Suvitech can now be seen as the partner of choice in this industry. This is exactly the area in which investors need to look at as Thailand has a great number of these successful ICT business stories. This industry is one of the growth sectors of the country that can help Thailand position itself as the regional hub.

Can Thailand become the regional ICT hub?

Mr. Ravi Bhatia and Mr. Subin Bhatia: There are many factors at play here. I believe it’s realistic for Thailand to become the infrastructure ICT hub of the region. At Suvitech, we have been proactive in promoting Thailand’s strength in ICT by providing the necessary infrastructure such as our long term commitment to work with The Communications Authority of Thailand. A lot of action has been taking by both public and private sectors in order to provide software and hardware infrastructure, but it will take time. If we talk about the manufacturing and research and development aspect of electronics and engineering this is an area in which Thailand excels. It is in service orientation where we need to improve as a nation, such as offering support to neighbouring countries in order to help them upgrade their own IT infrastructure. The next problem is the relatively small number of databases relative to the demand for business data storage in Thailand. Fortunately there is already an initiative implemented by the government to resolve this issue. Furthermore the Board of Investment is also working on new incentives for the ICT sector. When we will have all these improvements in place, Thailand will have a very strong position in the ASEAN region because we are already leading in terms of manufacturing, connectivity and logistics.

Is Thailand infrastructure competitive?

Mr. Ravi Bhatia and Mr. Subin Bhatia: Thailand is the connectivity hub of the region as we have the best mass transit and logistics infrastructure in the region. When it comes to IT infrastructure in terms of database, fibre optics, and broadband, these have improved massively in the last years. On the other hand, we need to develop more in order to further improve our competitive edge in the ASEAN region. I am optimistic that with the free movement of resources like labour and knowledge we can attract strong human capital to help us develop this sector. Especially with the knowledge based economy we are moving towards, we need professionals to collaborate with and we invite them to consider Thailand as the first option, considering that our employment rate is one of the lowest in the world.

For Thailand, we see the inauguration of AEC as another initiating step that has been taken to help develop the country’s economy, the region’s economy and the global economy. Probably the next step is to leverage more on the India – ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and the China ASEAN Free Trade Agreement. As a member of ASEAN, Thailand has good connections with these two super powers. These heightened ties can definitely help in driving forward the ICT sector of the country.

How confident are you in the future of Thailand?

Mr. Subin Bhatia: I am very confident for the future of the ICT sector in Thailand. We worked very hard on helping to improving the national ICT infrastructure last year, with the help from the public sector. Further action plans have been put into place to foster digital enabler services and the digital economy like the 4G auction and investments in the telecommunications sector. All of these plans are creating a lot of indirect benefits, enabling a freer market for Thailand.