Thailand’s Digital Service Sandbox ready for businesses

In a recent press release, the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) of Thailand announced the Digital Service Sandbox – a way to participate in the testing programs of innovations or services related to electronic transactions.

The sandbox allows service providers or those who wish to provide electronic transaction services including governmental agencies, private entities or even people with technological expertise to test their innovations or services before release in a limited environment.

The aim is to support new business models and help them boost their security, reliability and user interface qualities.

There is a clear testing framework in the Digital Service Sandbox that facilitates the development of innovations and services.

Nature of innovations or services related to electronic transactions

1. Services relating to electronic transactions must have any one of the following characteristics:
   1. can develop into infrastructure or standard or increase the work efficiency or services of both public and private entities
   2. must affect the reliability or acceptability of electronic transactions that may cause damage to the public or consumers
   3. bears no risk of conflict with regulations or regulatory criteria issued by the Electronic Transactions Commission or the Electronic Transactions Development Agency
2. Services must employ I&T that has never been used to provide services regarding electronic transactions in any part or is different from the services that are already available in the country. It must provide a limited service, or its use of technology must be aimed at boosting efficiency and reducing existing burdens.

Scope of innovations or services

To participate in the test The Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) will determine the cycle and number of test participants as well as the type or scope of a firm that can participate in each round of testing. To apply, concerned firms can request to join the test.

Applications for the first round of selections will be open between 1 July to 31 July 2020. Four services will be chosen. The types of innovations or services that will be chosen are as follows:

• An innovation or service that supports the production of books or documents in electronic form (i.e., an e-document solution)
• An innovation or management system that provides e-Meeting services
• An innovation or management system that supports the Digital ID solution

Qualifications of test participants

Those applying must meet the following criteria:

1. Be a juristic person (this includes government agencies, limited companies, public limited companies or other juristic persons as specified by APD);
2. Have financial resources, work systems and knowledgeable personnel;
3. Have two or more years of experience relevant to electronic transaction services on the date of request submission;
4. Has never been banned from operating all or part of the service temporarily; or has never had their registration or license revoked under the law on electronic transactions;
5. Has a director or a person with management power of the juristic person who has complete qualifications and is not under any of the prohibitions as stipulated by the announcement.

In early 2019, OpenGov Asia reported that the ETDA expanded its function to become the secretariat of the Electronic Transactions Committee to prepare the Electronic Transaction Strategic Plan and the Infrastructure Standards Development Plan, regulate business related to electronic transactions, and analyse and certify a variety of standards.

According to the Director, when considering the roles of government authorities and the scope of the current digital economy-related laws, the most urgent challenge for Thailand to transform to a digital economy and digital government is the removal of overlapping responsibilities among different authorities. Laws governing several government authorities overlap.

The role of ETDA with regards to Digital Transformation includes promoting the use of innovation for electronic transactions in the management and service of government agencies and the private sector.

Therefore, the ETDA has stepped up its explorations in digital technologies, devising necessary recommendations as well as developing prototypes and sandboxes so that the public and private organization management and service provisions remain effective, efficient, secure, reliable, appropriate, and convenient to users in the ecosystem.