1. Vol.4/2012
Mobile Application:
Blue Ocean
for Thai Software Industry

2. Editorial
Due to the borderless nature of the software market, Thai software companies that are keen to succeed have
been urged to think globally and regionally rather than focusing on the local market, which is limited in size. The
globalization of applications for mobile devices means that developers can set out to design and develop software with
the intention of serving people in many countries.
And in the era of mobile and cloud computing, software developers should be changing and adjusting their
outdated mindset. They should be changing from the development of software as a product, to developing services,
or creating new business processes driven by software and applications running on mobile devices, both smart
phones and tablets, that are linked to the enterprise system.
Besides, the implementation of 3G networks in Thailand can be expected to benefit Thai software industry and
software developers have to keep their eyes on business processes over the mobile-device and mobile networks.
Concussion, market opportunities are opening up rapidly, so developers must keep their eyes on the many
market trends and develop services to attract and serve this huge body of consumers. They have to change their
mindset of developing software for mobile devices as stand-alone products, and focus on the provision of business-
process software, to facilitate seamless mobile services, using software that performs across all mobile and non-
mobile platforms.
Table of Contents
3 Cover Story : Think Globally
Success cases for Thai Mobile software developers
6 - Mogamo on the move: New Venture in
“high potential” mobile market
7 - Confronting global markets: Developer
group’s success in mobile commerce
Outstanding Mobile Solutions Provider
9 - Burgeoning smart-device market:
Appsphere’s extraordinary years of
success
10 Success for Thai Software following
Software Park Thailand Newsletter is produced by Software Park Thailand under the National Scienceand Technology Development Agency,
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www.swpark.or.th; www.facebook.com/softwareparkthailand

3. Thinking Globally
The rapidly growing use of smart phones and
tablets, not only in Thailand but also around the world,
has opened up huge opportunities for Thai software
developers who have unique and creative ideas as well
as the ability to turn their ideas into real applications.
As a result, many Thai software companies are
now focused on developing software and applications to
serve the burgeoning mobile- devices market.
Thinking globally
Due to the borderless nature of the software
market, Thai software companies that are keen to
succeed have been urged to think globally and regionally
rather than focusing on the local market, which is limited Assoc.Prof. Thanachart Numnonda
in size. The globalization of applications for mobile Director of Software Park Thailand
devices means that developers can set out to design and
develop software with the intention of serving people in According to the International Data Corporation
many countries. (IDC), Thailand’s mobile-phone market recorded growth
of 5 per cent year on year in the second quarter of 2012,
As well as thinking beyond the limitations of the with total shipments of 5.3 million units. The country’s
local market, developers are advised to create software smart-phone market is forecast to grow at a rate of nearly
applications that perform across mobile operating 40 per cent this year, IDC says.
systems. Android and iOS are the two key platforms that
now dominate the world’s mobile-device markets. The market is now borderless. New technologies,
However, other platforms are competing strongly and especially widespread Internet use and cloud computing,
developers should also pay attention to Windows Phone have made the global market into a single entity,
8 and BlackBerry. accessible by developers from any country wishing to
sell their software services.
Shipments in global smart-phone markets grew by
an astounding 41 per cent year on year to 144.6 million The challenge for developers is how to design
in the quarter ending March 2012. Samsung and Apple software as well as creating new business processes to
delivered 55 per cent of the world’s smart-phone serve and fit the demands of consumers not only in their
shipments in that three-month period. own backyard, but also around the world.
Worldwide tablet-market revenues, which reached Developing services rather than software
US$32 billion in 2011, are expected to reach $40.4 billion
this year and to exceed $181.5 billion by 2018. Tablet Software Park Thailand’s director Thanachart
markets around the world are forecast to grow at an Numnonda believes that because this is the era of
annual rate of 29 per cent. mobile and cloud computing, software developers should
be changing and adjusting their outdated mindset. They
The combination of cloud computing and mobile should be changing from the development of software as
technology has allowed information to become more a product, to developing services, or creating new
readily available and more pervasive, and independent business processes driven by software and applications
mobile-software vendors using cloud services now have running on mobile devices, both smart phones and
greater options for accessing information and processes. tablets, that are linked to the enterprise system.
3

4. He added that revenue for such developers was
coming from transactions, and not from the ‘product’
business model. Software developers have to recognize
this vital change.
Thanachart said cloud and mobile complemented
each other. Cloud computing is the infrastructure, while
mobile computing represents the front-end, and
developers must be aware of this relationship. Once they
understand this, they will know how to develop software
to serve this relationship; will know what mobile software
and applications they should develop; and where the
market opportunities are.
“Mindset is the important thing that Thai software “Most software companies in Thailand are not yet
developers have to change first of all. Developing aware of this. They are still doing business as they have
software as a product and selling it as usual – as they done in the past – developing software as a product and
have done in the past – is no longer an efficient way of selling it. This way of doing software business will no
doing software business,” Thanachart said. longer succeed in the future. They have to be aware and
prepare themselves for the challenge of doing software
He urged mobile-software developers to think at business according to the new business model,” he said.
all times of developing mobile applications linked and
connected to the enterprise system. This offers many Software Park Thailand’s role is to encourage and
more business opportunities than developing stand- support software development by leading local
alone mobile applications. developers towards current technologies and business
scenarios. The park’s direction is to promote mobile com-
He singled out WongNai, OokBee and Builk.com puting and cloud-computing technology.
as great examples for other Thai software developers.
These firms have developed services and created new “Software Park has joined hands with Sipa
business processes, he said. They have developed (Software Industry Promotion Agency) to promote both
mobile software as an extension of the enterprise local developers and software development in Thailand,
system, rather than concentrating on stand-alone appli- with the aim of creating a lot of new software and applica-
cations. tions to serve mobile and cloud computing,” Thanachart
said.
“They do not develop software; they develop
business models. They develop and provide business The park is also working with the private sector to
process as a service. This is a new business model for encourage new tech start-up companies with fresh ideas
software developers in the era of mobile and cloud com- and new business models in mind.
puting,” Thanachart said.
“The park has worked with private sectors organi-
zations such as AIS and RIM to create programs supporting
and encouraging newcomers in the software develop-
ment area,” he said
Dramatic growth expected
in Mobile software
Mobile Technology for Thailand (MT2)’s chairman
Supot Tiarawut points out that even without the availability
of 3G networks, Thailand’s mobile software market was
growing at 30 per cent year on year. Therefore, the imple-
mentation of 3G networks can be expected to benefit
Thai people, who will be able to access the Internet
throughout the country. This is assured under the provi-
sions of the Universal Service Obligation, which guaran-
tees a baseline level of quality services to every resident
of the country at affordable rates.
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5. Moreover, corporate software on mobile devices
is also increasing. E-documents and Web-to-mobile
solutions such as business intelligence and enterprise
resource planning are expected to be in greater demand
on mobile devices.
BYOD is the trend
The increasing availability of high-speed wireless
networks and mobile devices – both smart phones and
tablets – are leading to the rise of a new trend called
‘bring your own device’ or BYOD. In this case, employees
bring their own computing devices, included laptops,
smart phones and tablets, to work at the office. According
to IDC, about 40 per cent of employees in the Asia-
Pacific region, excluding Japan, will be mobile workers
by 2015 and the majority of them will be office-based.
The BYOD trend is forcing organizations and
managers to reflect upon workplace architecture so as to
improve employee productivity and job satisfaction. An
IDC conference will set out to test a number of assump-
tions surrounding BYOD, including identifying organiza-
tions’ real considerations regarding mobile security and
next-generation workspaces.
Supot Tirawut, Ph.D.
Chairman of Mobile Technology for Thailand (MT2) More than ever before, software developers must
understand these latest developments in mobility and
“Manufacturers can communicate with their figure out mobility strategies that best suit their business
customers or suppliers via video-conferencing, without requirements.
having to travel to meetings. This can save cost and time
in doing business, while increasing productivity. These IDC's Associate Vice President for Asia/Pacific
kinds of uses will open up the business opportunities in End-User and Mobility Research Tim Dillon, says the
the mobile software market because mobile computing convergence of devices, networks and applications has
will increase rapidly after the 3G-networks become “changed the expectation of 'any time, any device,
available. Software developers have to keep their eyes anywhere' from a hackneyed cliché to an exciting
on business processes over the mobile-device and truism."
mobile networks,” Supot said.
Market opportunities are opening up rapidly, so
He said growth areas would include e-commerce, developers must keep their eyes on the many market
mobile applications and machine-to-machine (M2M) trends and develop services to attract and serve this
solutions. huge body of consumers. They have to change their
mindset of developing software for mobile devices as
MT2’s role is to promote this scenario to its mem- stand-alone products, and focus on the provision of
bers and to the industry generally. Mobile software is business-process software, to facilitate seamless mobile
entering a period of fast growth, so software developers services, using software that performs across all mobile
have to catch up with the ‘right’ solutions that are needed and non-mobile platforms.
by the market. For example, software related to mobile
payments, e-books, loyalty programs, location-based
services, e-learning and mobile games is expected to
increase in the near future, he said.
“Mobile gaming is a huge market for software
developers, but not many Thai software developers can
reach it. The model for mobile-game business is to
generate revenue from three sources: paid applications,
in-app purchases and outsourcing development. The
trend is going towards in-app purchasing, so developers
who want to settle down their mobile-software business
here have to be aware and prepare for it,” Supot said.
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6. Mogamo on the move:
New ventures in ‘high potential’ mobile market
Local software company, Mobile Game Motion
(Mogamo), is planning to expand its business capability
this year from being a game dealer to become a developer
and owner of its own social games for the Android
platform.
The development of its own mobile social-game
service has been one of the company’s goals since it
was formed, eight years ago. 2012, it says, is the year Ekkanit said the rapid increase in use of smart
when it will happen. phones was giving local software developers quicker and
easier access to this market. It was with an eye to the
huge opportunities in this growth market that Mogamo
decided to launch its three new services in 2012. The first
is a mobile payment service called “Moga Pay”. The
service offers two mobile-payment models: “micro-
transaction” payments involving small amounts up to
Bt100 and “cash card”, with payment values of Bt100,
Bt300, Bt500 and Bt1,000.
“We had a soft launch for Moga Pay earlier this
year and are planning an official launch in July,” Ekkanit
said.
Target clients include Android game apps, Internet
services such as web content and multimedia services
such as video-streaming services.
“They can use our payment service to offer in-app
purchases,” Ekkanit said.
Eakkanit Chansawang
CEO & Founder at Mogamo Group
Mogamo’s managing director Ekkanit Chan-
sawang said that the mobile social-game service was
just one of his company’s new directions this year, to The second new service – mobile advertising – will
expand beyond its main business of being a mobile- be dedicated to app advertising and will be called ‘Moga
game dealer in the Thai market. Other ventures will Deal’. Mogamo will work with mobile-app service providers
include providing a mobile-payment service and mobile as partners, to offer advertising that will reach the end-
advertising. The moves aim to give the company more users of their applications.
sources of revenue by taking advantage of the high He said Mogamo already had four or five app
potential for growth in mobile games, mobile applications partners with a total of one million end-users and banner
and mobile services. impressions around 30 million times per day.
“This service is set to launch in August. We plan to
recruit more local advertisers to use our mobile-
advertising services. We have developed our own algo-
rithm to offer advertisers a cost-per-installation model.
We also plan to increase our number of partners, to
reach about 20 to 30 app-service providers who use
Moga Deal by the end of this year,” Ekkanit said.
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7. This year, Mogamo will launch two mobile social
games. The first, “Super Star Manager” is scheduled for
launch in August, and another will follow later.
“Mobile social games for feature phones represent
a huge market, since most of the 80-million mobile-
phone units [in Thailand] are feature phones. In the near
future, when the majority of mobile phones are smart
phones, we will develop a mobile social-game platform
The last of Mogamo’s new services is the one that for smart phones,” Ekkanit said.
has eluded the company for eight years – a mobile
social-game platform. The company developed and He said that this year, Mogamo was expecting
began offering a mobile-game platform for feature revenue of between Bt50 million and Bt60 million,
phones earlier this year, and after six months, it has coming from four services. Its existing mobile-game
40,000 members. It aims to have 100,000 members by dealership will generate about 60 per cent of the total,
the end of this year. while 40 per cent will come from the three new services.
By next year, the three new services are expected to be
“Our passion is to have our own mobile game,” generating 70 per cent of the firm’s total revenue.
Ekkanit said. “We started business with our own game,
but it didn’t work, so we had to stop it and become a He said the mobile platform was the emerging
game dealer, selling games rather than developing our market for software developers. It is expected to continue
own game. Now, it is time to follow our passion. We’ve growing strongly for the next five years.
decided to develop and offer a new mobile social-game
platform in August, using the freemium model.”
Confronting global markets:
Developer group’s success in mobile commerce
A new company set up in February by a group of
Thai developers is showing early signs of success.
The company, called ShopSpot, is a bid by the
group to demonstrate their ability as entrepreneurs, and
already, its first flagship product, a mobile application
that is also called ‘ShopSpot’, is headed for success.
The software company was set up outside Thai-
land with 15,000 Singapore dollars in seed funding from
Joyful Frog Digital Incubator (JFDI Asia). It later attracted
more funding from a Thai investor.
7

8. The app is designed to make buying and selling as
easy as sending a tweet. Users download ShopSpot into
their smartphones then sign in and register as members
– a one-time procedure. Then they can create accounts
and immediately begin selling their goods.
The ShopSpot app is intended to simplify the com-
plicated process of mobile commerce for the many
people who are keen to sell things. It is designed to be
used with a social-network plug-in, alerting users' Face-
book and Twitter friends whenever they post a new product
for sale at ShopSpotApp.com via the application. If
anyone is interested in a product, they can click a link
back to the shop to initiate a purchase. The app is not yet
designed to allow them to make an online purchase; it
works by matching people who want to sell with those
who want to buy.
Sources of revenue include three potential
business models: selling advertising through in-app
Natsakon Kiatsuranon
purchases; charging product-listing fees; and quota or
CEO & Founder at ShopSpot
premium-product listing.
ShopSpot's founder and chief executive Natsa-
kon Kiatsuranon said the company was a result of his
passion to establish a Thai software firm that was
successful in global markets. Thai developers are
intelligent and have good software-development skills,
especially in mobile applications, but they face
obstacles to becoming entrepreneurs and achieving
business success because they do not have access to
sufficient investment capital or to training in business-
thinking skills, he said.
The company’s first product, called ShopSpot
App, is a mobile application enabling consumer-to-
consumer mobile commerce. It is designed to facilitate
quick sales by individuals, through three instant steps
called “snap-tag-post”.
Natsakon said the keys to success for local
developers included both internal and external factors.
First, developers must have software-development
know-how and the ability to generate product ideas.
“Developers have to know what products the
market needs, and the ability to turn ideas into good
products. But even brilliant product developers need
support from investors and mentors to help craft their
ideas and products into commercialized, market-ready
products,” he said.
Late last year – before becoming ShopSpot Com-
pany – the team of developers headed by Natsakon
joined the AIS Startup Weekend Bangkok 2011, spon-
sored by AIS, Software Park Thailand, the Mobile Tech-
nology for Thailand Group and SingTel Innov8.
8

9. Burgeoning smart-device market
Appsphere’s extraordinary years of success
A recently established local software company,
Appsphere Group, is rapidly becoming a leading
specialist in the development of applications and
solutions for smart phones and smart devices.
“We want to have the right business balance
Currently, Appsphere Group is providing develop- between development services and our own apps for
ment services to businesses that are interested in plan- consumers,” Choi said.
ning and deploying smart-device based applications and
solutions. It has also launched proprietary applications In total, the company has already created more
and technology. than 40 apps and solutions.
“In this fairly new industry, with such a short
history, not many local companies have an extensive
portfolio like ours, and we are very proud of it. We have
been covering all types of businesses and industries,
with diverse apps with different features, content and
objectives in mind – from e-books that pay tribute to His
Majesty the King, to a diet app that features the famous
Korean girl group ‘Girl’s Generation’,” he said.
Appsphere Group’s own app, called ‘JJ App’ is
currently the No. 1 app in the ‘Lifestyle’ category and
No. 9 overall in Thailand. JJ App contains information
on shops, maps, a directory, a shopping-memo feature
and a lot more.
“It is basically the most popular app besides
games,” Choi said.
The company is also planning to launch an app
platform, from which businesses can easily build their
Sean Choi own apps at an affordable price, in the near future. It
CEO at Appshere's Group aims to launch two or three more apps and app
‘products’ in the second half of this year and more than
five apps next year.
Chief executive Sean Choi said that Appsphere
Group had three main business paths: providing “Among the apps we have developed for clients,
development services to businesses that are in need of PTT Tambon is the aforementioned app that is about
mobile applications and solutions; developing its own His Majesty the King, and we feel very honored and
applications for smart phones and devices; and providing proud to be a part of it. We’ve also just launched – work-
“new-media interactive platforms”, including technolo- ing with HP – a beautiful app for SCG that shows its
gies such as 3D mapping, touch-and-motion sensing products and information, as well as a motion-sensing
displays and other types of advanced, state-of-the-art display at SCG Experience, at the Crystal Design
interactive-display formats. Center,” Choi said.
“Even though Appsphere Group was established
as recently as August 2011, many of us have been
working together for almost two years. We were ‘reborn’
as Appsphere Group just last year. We wanted to struc-
ture the company to focus more on the Thai market and
to serve it better,” Choi said.
The majority of its business comes from providing
mobile-development services to companies, including
Siam Cement Group (SCG) and PTT. However, in the
mid- to long-term, it plans to focus on developing its own
application portfolio.
9

10. “I want Appsphere Group to be the mobile com-
pany that industry professionals ultimately want to work
for, because of its great atmosphere, diversity of culture,
rewards and the sense of achievement that comes with
success,” Choi said.
Because of rapid growth in the Thai smart mobile
market, Appsphere Group is aiming for 100% growth in
2012, he said.
Currently, Appsphere has a development team of
15 people and it expects to grow to a staff of about 25 by
the end of this year.
“Not all of our developers are dedicated to
on-going projects,” Choi said. “We have an R&D depart-
ment to pursue new technologies and ideas.”
The company (or its principal officers) has also
been serving the Korean market for almost two years.
While its main focus at present is the market in Thailand,
it is not losing a keen interest in Vietnam, Singapore and
other parts of Asia.
Success for Thai software
following
The Thailand Pavilion at CommunicAsia 2012, the It wasn’t the only exhibitor to engage new strate-
four-day telecommunication trade show in Singapore in gic partners. Infotronics began many new partnerships
June, demonstrated the potential for success of Thai with firms from Singapore and Indonesia.
software businesse
The event not only created business opportuni-
The pavilion was hosted by Software Park Thai- ties for Thai software companies, but also built up brand
land, which took 14 Thai software companies to show- value for Thai software.
case their flagship products and solutions to potential
customers from many countries. Many visitors to the During the event, six Thai software exhibitors
event, at Singapore’s Sands Expo and Convention made business deals with a combined face value of
Centre, spent time with the Thai exhibitors. Bt52.1 million. More than this, however, these deals
were expected to generate more value over the following
Among the Thai companies, Digital Research and year, which would mean they would have an eventual
Consulting showed off its highlight product called value of around Bt95 million.
Jammer – software for blocking mobile phone signals. It
received particular attention from Middle Eastern Moreover, three Thai software companies made
visitors. sales during the four-day trade show that were worth
around Bt175 million.
Another solution that received a lot of attention
was the radiology network application Telediag, developed In the experience of Software Park Thailand, the
by local software firm Click Connect. Another of Click beauty of joining trade shows such as ComunicAsia
Connect’s innovations – mobile augmented reality – 2012 is that showing off Thailand’s leading software
attracted business matches, giving the developers a products builds the brand image of the entire Thai
range of new business partners. software industry, and this reaches beyond the simple
value of the business deals and sales made on the
exhibition floor.
10

11. Thai exhibitors at CommunicAsia 2012
2 3 Perspective
Developers of social media, mobile applications, online games and complete Web portals
under the name “Shoppening”. This company has developed the cross-platform mobile-
marketing application of the same name, with social-media application programming interface,
augmented reality functionality and location-based services aimed at building brand awareness
and impressing prospective users.
Anunda Technology
Anunda Technology is a leading Thai developer and manufacturer of radio-frequency products,
focusing mainly on wireless-communications products serving cellular operators and wireless
Internet-service providers in Thailand and other parts of South East Asia.
Arunsawad Dot Com
Arunsawad Dot Com was established in 2000 to provide real-time services for a wide spectrum
of applications, wherever customers may be, whenever they want them and however their
needs may be served – under the theme “anywhere to go”.
Click Connect
Click Connect is a Thai independent software vendor claiming to strive 24 hours of every day
to design, develop and drive outstanding mobile applications for smart phone users. Mobile
gaming is one of Click Connect’s main areas of expertise. It specializes in the iOS, Android,
Windows Phone 7, BlackBerry, Symbian, BREW and J2ME mobile platforms. One of its latest
developments is a mobile application with augmented reality called “Click AR”.
Computerlogy
This company is one of the initial members of the Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer
Program in Apps. It is the only such developer in Thailand and shares the position with just a
few other developers in Asia. One of its latest products, called “Social Enable”, is a social-
media monitoring tool.
Digital Research and Consulting
This is a telecommunication systems integrator providing total solutions and engineering
services in wireless communication. It was founded in 2001 by a management team with more
than 25 years’ experience in the telecommunications business Thailand.
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12. Forth Corporation
Forth Corporation was established in 1989 under the name Genius Communication Systems,
with registered capital of Bt1 million. Originally, the company researched, developed and
manufactured Forth-brand Private Branch Exchanges (PBX), undertook printed-circuit board
assembly and manufactured other electronic equipment. With rising capital and expanded
business lines, such as manufacturing telecommunication systems and electronics meters, the
company went public in 2005 under the name Forth Corporation.
G Softbiz
G Softbiz is a leading developer of mobile applications and solutions. It develops applications
that function across various mobile platforms, but with a focus on iPhones and iPads. The
company’s customers include Thai Airways, CUbook, ASTV Manager Group, Major Cineplex,
Assumption University, BEC Tero Radio, Land and Houses and the Sansiri Group.
Hua Lampong
Hua Lampong is the local software company that developed the well known photo-sharing app
for smart phones called MoLoMe. The company is currently developing applications to assist
businesses in their public relations and promotional activities via mobile devices, such as
mobile coupons, across various mobile platforms.
Index Corp (Thailand)
Index Corp, formerly known as Sam Click, is a subsidiary company of Index Holding, Japan.
Established in 2002 to provide content and services to mobile users in Thailand, its main products
have been mobile billing and messaging platforms. The strength of its developer team is in
creating mobile applications on various platforms, including iPhone, Blackberry, JAVA, Sym-
bian, Windows mobile and Android.
Infotronics
It is a leading Thai software company developing open-source technology and cloud
computing applications. Its core products, called Cloud (Vtiger CRM) and Nexenta, have been
developed under the concept “cloud storage software for everyone”.
Netka System
This software company specializes in IT network-management software. It helps its customers
by providing sublime network-system management solutions in the form of both hardware and
software.
Prodigi
Prodigi is the developer of “TeleDiagClinic” – a sub-specialist radiology center that provides
day and night reporting services and support to more than 50 public hospitals and local health
authorities in Thailand. It has more than 100 accredited sub-specialist radiologists who focus
on specific diagnostic areas including neuro, body, musculoskeletal, PET-CT, mammography
screening and nuclear medicine. TeleDiagClinic offers guaranteed delivery of high-quality
readings in a timely manner.
PromptNow
PromptNow develops mobile applications and games for leading enterprises, content publishers,
handset manufacturers and mobile operators. Its core expertise is in J2ME, BREW, Symbian,
Android and iPhone applications and content. It also provides content outsourcing services to
telecom carriers and game publishers, including games development, testing, porting, transla-
tion, content aggregation and hosting services. It also boasts an expertise with new-age
devices such as smart phones, tablets and smart TVs.
Sun Systems Corporation
Sun Systems was established in 1993 to build open standards-based voice, data and multimedia
platforms. Its products are carrier-grade compact peripheral component interconnect, open-
architecture solutions. Its CallStream platforms are designed to run on either pulse-code
modulation or voice-over- Internet protocol. CallStream Studio can also operate on any
Windows or Solaris platform.
12