Thailand's NBTC to reclassify data centre licences for tighter oversight

Details: John Tanner; Category: Regulation; 25 March 2026; 4702 views

Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is reportedly planning to establish tighter regulatory oversight over the country’s fast-growing data centre market.

According to a report from the Bangkok Post on Wednesday, the NBTC intends to reclassify its data centre operations licence from Type 1 to Type 3. A Type 1 licence is usually for operators that don't have their own network infrastructure, while a Type 3 licence is for those that do.

Data centre operators with Type 3 licences would be subject to tighter scrutiny and higher annual regulatory fees. The proposed changes also include possible zoning for data centre development, the report said.

NBTC acting secretary-general Trairat Viriyasirikul told the Post the changes are meant to address the current data centre boom in Thailand, which has become a magnet for foreign direct investment.

There are now over 20 licensed data centre operators in the country, with the Thai government’s Board of Investment having approved over ten data centre projects in 2025 alone. Earlier this year, Google Cloud launched its new Bangkok cloud region with three availability zones.

While that’s good news for Thailand’s ambitions to become a key regional digital and AI hub, it also raises concerns over data centres gobbling up energy and water resources, as well as data sovereignty, the report said.

Trairat said the NBTC is preparing a new regulatory draft that will presented to its board for approval in the coming months, followed by a public consultation. The NBTC aims to have the updated licencing regime in place before the end of this year, at which point existing data centre operators will need to consult to the regulatory to have their licences changed, the report said.